The Ghanaian Chronicle

Reporting on the on-going trial of Messrs. Kofi Coomson and Eben Quarcoo, Publisher and ex-Editor of the Ghanaian Chronicle and the Free Press respectively, the paper contends that "Rawlings is in contempt of court - judge. Journalists' rights to fair trail endangered, but President is immune".

According to the story, Mr Victor D. Ofoe, the trial judge last Tuesday conceded to defence arguments that President Rawlings' comments on the trial were in contempt of court.

The Judge said the comments amounted to prejudicing the issues of contention before the court and the rights of the accused persons to a fair trail. However, he ruled against the defence submissions for the trial to be aborted, because he could not be influenced in his judgement by the comments of the president.

Ofoe said, though the President's comments were contemptuous of court proceedings, it would be impossible to cite him for contempt by virtue of his immunity under the Constitution, reports the paper.