Legal Expert Urges Akwatia MP Ernest Kumi to Appear Before Court Following Bench Warrant

 

Private legal practitioner Bobby Banson has advised Ernest Kumi, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia, to voluntarily present himself before the court to prevent further embarrassment after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

The bench warrant was issued due to Kumi’s failure to comply with an interim injunction preventing him from being sworn in as a legislator. Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, February 22, 2025, Banson explained that the legal situation could worsen if Kumi does not cooperate with the court.

“As it stands now, I think that going forward, at least on the next day, to avoid further embarrassment—because once the bench warrant has been issued, it must be executed—and so to avoid all of that, he can just voluntarily appear before the court with his counsel and give his evidence of the processes that have been filed,” Banson advised.

He clarified that Kumi’s conviction remains on record and has not been overturned, with only the sentencing left to be determined by the court.

Banson suggested that if Kumi presents all the necessary legal documents to the court, the judge may consider delaying the sentencing until all pending applications are reviewed.

“I want to think that the judge, if he is minded, seeing the processes that have been filed—because the conviction is already on the record, it has not been set aside yet; what is left is the sentencing. So, if the judge will deal with the documents that are before him, I expect that they will adjourn the sentencing until all the other applications have been filed,” he explained.

The legal expert’s comments come amid growing public attention on the case, with legal observers closely watching how the embattled MP will respond to the court’s directives.

As the situation develops, all eyes remain on whether Kumi will follow the legal advice and present himself to the court, potentially mitigating the consequences of the bench warrant.