Lawyer detained for contempt

Mr Kwaku Asamoah-Cheremeh, a Sunyani lawyer, was on Thursday detained briefly by police on the orders of the local community tribunal chairman for showing contempt to the tribunal.

Mr Charles Adjei Wilson, the tribunal chairman, ordered the lawyer's arrest for accusing him of being biased towards his client. The accusation had led to hot exchanges between Mr Wilson and Mr Asamoah and the chairman ordered his arrest by security men at the tribunal who quickly whisked him away into custody.

Barely an hour later, Mr Asamoah-Cheremeh phoned-in to render an apology to Mr Wilson but he rejected it, saying, "since he (lawyer) showed impudence towards the tribunal before the litigants and the general public, the tribunal would only accept the apology on condition that he came to render it openly before it."

Mr Asamoah re-surfaced at the tribunal later and openly apologised to the tribunal. I am sorry for the inconvenience I created in the court and like the prodigal son it is my heartfelt apology to the court that I have exhibited myself in a manner that is not in consonance with the ethics of the profession."

Mr Wilson, in accepting the apology said "there are occasion that litigants provoke the court but are forgiven. Lawyers are also human beings who must be forgiven when they offend the court."