The Tema High Court has adjourned the case involving Afia Schwarzenegger to January 31, 2023, after a clerical error on the docket.
Afia Schwarzenegger is in court for contempt after she commented on a defamation case filed against her by the New Patriotic Party Ashanti Regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako also known as Chairman Wontumi which was still pending in court.
Afia Schwarzenegger, was a panelist on United Television’s (UTV) entertainment programme, United Showbiz in July 2022 during which she and other panel members made commentary on a case pending before the court.
She was sentenced to 10 days in prison for contempt of court on December 1, 2022, but was absent on the day of her sentence.
She, however, made an appearance on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, in the company of her lawyer, Adrian Duke Amaning who moved a motion on notice for a variation of the sentence.
Coming under Order 50 Rule 4(1) and Rule 5 of the High Court (Civil Procedures) Rules which deal with the suspension of an order and discharge of a person committed, respectively, he prayed the court to suspend the sentence.
Order 50 Rule 4(1) states that the court, which makes an order of committal, may by an order direct that the execution of the order of committal shall be suspended for such period or on such other terms and conditions as it may specify, while Rule 5 (1) states that the court may, on the application of any person committed to prison for contempt of court, discharge the person.
Mr Amaning further indicated that his client had shown remorse and had since published her apology to the court.
It would be recalled that Chairman Wontumi dragged Afia Schwarzenegger and other contemnors including UTV to court after they ran a commentary on a case pending before the court during an entertainment show, United Showbiz, broadcast on UTV in July 2022.
The three contemnors namely Felicity Ama Agyeman, aka Nana Ama Mcbrown, Kwame Asare Obeng, alias Kwame A-Plus and Emmanuel Barnes alias Mr. Logic were fined GH¢60,000 each (5,000 penalty units), a fine they have since paid.
A fourth person, Fadda Dickson Narh, an Executive Producer of UTV, was pardoned by the court after the court held that he showed remorse by apologizing on UTV before the case was brought to it.
