The Supreme Court of Ghana has, by a 4-1 majority decision, quashed a bench warrant issued in January 2020 for the arrest of outspoken US-based journalist Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor. The warrant had been issued by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour in the midst of criminal proceedings involving others in the alleged National Communications Authority (NCA) scandal, in which Taylor had made controversial public comments.
The apex court ruled that the bench warrant was procedurally flawed and failed to meet the necessary legal standards required for such an action. The majority of the panel found that due process was not followed in summoning or notifying Taylor before the warrant was issued, raising serious questions about fairness and judicial overreach.
The ruling represents a significant legal victory for the journalist, who has consistently maintained that the warrant was politically motivated and intended to silence critical voices in the media. Taylor has been a fierce critic of successive Ghanaian governments and has continued to broadcast from the United States via his Loud Silence Media platform.
Justice Kyei Baffour’s 2020 decision had drawn backlash from sections of the public and media freedom advocates, who saw the warrant as part of a broader trend of suppressing dissent. The Supreme Court’s judgment effectively nullifies that action, with legal observers hailing it as a strong reaffirmation of procedural fairness and constitutional protections.
Legal analysts say the ruling sets a precedent regarding how Ghana’s judiciary handles contempt or arrest-related matters involving individuals outside the court’s immediate jurisdiction—especially those in the media space.