Outspoken media personality, Afia Pokua popularly known as Vim Lady has taken a swipe at the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, and Attorney General, Godfred Dame over the charges presented to the court with regard to the thugs invasion of the United Television (UTV) to the court.
She lambasted the Ghana Police Service for presenting what she calls a ‘bogus’ charge to the court that made the judge convict and fine the sixteen(16) individuals GH¢2,400 each by the Achimota Magistrate Court.
The media personality disclosed that one charge thus ‘being on premises without purposes’ presented to the court was feeble and believes that it should have been more to ensure that the thugs were dealt with appropriately.
“Do you know that the police presented just one charge? IGP Dampare and the whole police service must be called out. The judge did nothing wrong but you gave just one charge. The people came to the studios unlawfully yet the police didn’t include that charge.
"The only charge the police gave was being on the premises without purpose, is this a charge? If it were ordinary people who did this, the charges would have been different,” Vim Lady said during the Egyaso Gyaso political show on Okay FM which GhanaWeb monitored.
She continued: “Upon all the praises showered on IGP Dampare, is this the charge he presented? Did you see the charge? What a wow, this is an absolutely bogus charge and a misdemeanor too.
"Godfred Dame, you’re in charge of prosecution in the country, how did you allow them to present this feeble charge? If you were privy to the charge before it was presented to the court, then fire will burn you.”
Vim Lady also stated that the charges presented to the court and the punishment meted out to culprits would encourage others to take the same action in the future.
“This means they’ll come and beat us again at UTV. Next time they will wield their guns and knives. A fine of GH¢2,400? You’ve made me understand that there is no truth in Ghana so I'll never kill myself in any elections again,” said Vim Lady.
Sixteen individuals affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were convicted and fined GH¢2,400 each by the Achimota Magistrate Court after their involvement in an attack on the offices of United Television (UTV).
The incident took place on Saturday, October 7, 2023, during a disruption of the station's prime-time entertainment show, 'United Showbiz.'
The convicts faced charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and rioting.
They pleaded guilty to these charges, which led to their convictions.
On that fateful Saturday, a group of thugs forcefully entered the UTV studio during the live broadcast of 'United Showbiz.'
They disrupted the program and made threats against the host and guests present.
The attackers were later disclosed to have been led by the Klottey Korle Youth Organizer of the NPP, allegedly acting on the orders of Ernest Owusu Bempah, a Deputy Director of Communications, and other prominent figures within the ruling party.
The cause of the attack was linked to A Plus, a panelist on the show, who tore apart a letter from the NPP leadership requesting changes to the United Showbiz panel.
The invasion by the NPP-affiliated individuals was widely condemned by various entities, including the Ghana Journalists Association, the Information Ministry, and several other organizations.
Watch the video below