The medical doctor who issued an excuse duty form for politician Kennedy Agyapong has denied any claim it was aimed at delaying the contempt hearing against the Member of Parliament for Assin Central.
He made this known when he appeared before the Accra High Court to answer questions concerning the excuse duty.
Dr. Ken Addo was earlier summoned on October 1, 2020, to answer questions surrounding the medical excuse form he issued to the MP on September 26, 2020.
But the directive was varied and adjourned to October 6 by the judge presiding over the case.
Upon the doctor’s appearance on Tuesday, his lawyer CA Chambers pleaded with the court to hear proceedings in camera as the questioning could lead to a breach of the confidentiality between the doctor and Kennedy Agyapong.
Though the judge ruled otherwise, lawyer for Kennedy Agyapong, Alexander Afenyo Markin also prayed for the case to be heard in the chambers of the judge as he expressed concern about the political commentary on the case and some media reportage he described as gallery interpretations.
While reassuring the counsels of staying within the terms of the invitation, Justice Amos Wuntah Awuni queried Dr. Ken Addo on why the excuse duty was granted for 14 days without periodic reviews and why the form did not include any OPD number as well as the exact age of the MP.
Dr. Ken Addo in his responses indicated that the special case of Mr. Agyapong required that he was given those number of days to cater for the complications he suffered from his medications.
The judge after getting an assurance from the doctor that the excuse duty was not issued to delay the contempt hearing, adjourned the case.
Background
Mr. Agyapong is in court for allegedly making a statement deemed contemptuous in the case in which Susan Bandoh and Christopher Akuetteh Kotei had sued him, one Ibrahim Jaja, Nana Yaw Duodu and the Inspector General of Police in a land dispute.
He failed to turn up for his contempt hearings in court on September 28, 2020, with the excuse that he was suffering from complication from a post-COVID-19 condition.
The judge thus summoned Agyapong’s doctor.
—citinewsroom