Afia Schwar escapes jail …fined GHC60,000 in contempt case

Well-known Ghanaian media personality, Afia Schwarzenegger, officially called Valentine Nana Agyeiwaa, would not serve the 10-day jail term for contempt to which she was sentenced in December last year by a Tema High Court because the same court, yesterday Tuesday January 31, varied the initial custodial sentence and rather asked her to pay a fine amount of GHC60,000 in the well-publicized contempt case pending before it.

The Court further directed that Valentine Nana Agyeiwaa pays an amount of GHC5,000 to business mogul cum politician Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Chairman Wontumi, for making defamatory comments against him.

The High Court also ordered Afia Schwarzenegger to sign a bond that she would be of good behavior for the next 36 months and a breach of the bond would land her back to face the Court.

Apart from paying the GHC60,000 fine, paying the GHC5,000 to Chairman Wontumi and the signing of a bond to be of good behavior for 36 months, Afia Schwarzenegger was also forbidden from passing comments on the case on any platform during the entire period of the bond.

The High Court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, at its sitting Yesterday, Tuesday, January 31, 2023 granted an application filed by lawyers of Afia Schwarzenegger for a variation of the Custodial sentence.

The Court was convinced by the argument of Afia Schwarzenegger’s lawyers that she has shown remorse and had since published her apology to the Court.

Then the 10-day prison sentence was ordered in December last year, Afia Schwarzenegger was not in court and was said to have been outside the country but her lawyers quickly filled a motion on notice for a variation of the custodial sentence.

A calm looking Afia Schwarzenegger appeared in Court yesterday in the company of her lawyer, Adrian Duke Amaning who eloquently made his submissions and backed them by law.

Background

Chairman Wontumi had dragged Afia Schwarzenegger and three others to court claiming they had ran commentary on the substance of a case pending before the court during an entertainment show, United Showbiz, broadcast on UTV in July 2022.

Three other persons; host of the show – Felicity Ama Agyeman ( Nana Ama McBrown), Kwame Asare Obeng (Kwame A-Plus) and Emmanuel Barnes (Mr. Logic) were fined GH¢60,000 each which they have since paid.

A fourth person, Fadda Dickson Narh, had shown remorse and apologized publicly and widely even before the case was sent to court was pardoned. He was pardoned.