Rally for Montie 3 not ‘hero’s welcome’ – George Loh

One of the lawyers for the Montie FM trio, George Loh, has said the ceremony held at the premises of Radio Gold to welcome them following their release from prison, was not meant as a hero’s welcome as some have suggested.

“We made sure that they did not come to a hero's welcome. Ideally, we could have got people to know when and where they were going to be released. People were prepared to bus themselves there in their numbers but we stopped all that to reinforce the fact that the President was not endorsing a wrongdoing so we took pains,” he said on Eyewitness News.

Mugabe and two others panelists on his show, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn, were released from prison on Friday following the remission of their four-month sentence after they were convicted of contempt and jailed by the Supreme Court.

Hundreds of supporters of the three, some clad in NDC attire, gathered outside the premises of the station after they were released from the Akuse prison.

According to George Loh, the three were public figures who had lots of followers so the number of people who turned up to welcome them back was not surprising.

“These are popular people, they sit on radio, talk to millions of people on a daily basis. They have families, admirers and friends who are excited. They have wives who are excited to have their husbands back,” he said.

“When the news filtered out that they were out and were heading to Radio Gold to meet with the Directors and managers, well-wishers trooped in there, we couldn't have done anything about that.”

George Loh is a member of counsel for the Montie three

Rally not orchestrated
Some suggestions have been made that the rally to welcome back the contemnors was planned.

George Loh, however, denied these claims insisting they had done what they could to limit the number of people who knew about the three’s presence at the premises of Radio Gold

“You could see that this was not an orchestrated crowd, they kept trickling in, in two, and threes just to see and believe that these people are out. In Ghana, anytime people go through some calamity and come out, powder is there to signify that there is a renewal. It doesn't necessarily mean that people hailed them as heroes. We all do it, whether it's an engagement, we all throw powder, even on birthdays people throw powder,” George Loh noted.

“I don't think anybody can say that we went out of our way to do this; we rather took pains to ensure that the normal euphoria that would have come with this release was completely calm.”

Grateful to Mahama
Salifu Maase, alias ‘Mugabe’ and two others panelists on his show, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn expressed their appreciation to President Mahama for remitting their 4-month prison sentences.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the President, John Mahama for graciously exercising his constitutional powers under Article 72 in our favour in remitting the remaining custodial sentence imposed on us recently,” Mugabe said.

“We would like to thank the Council of State profusely for their role in our release…” he added.

The trio had expressed their regret for the comments they made on the Accra-based radio station and called on the President to bear in mind the embarrassment their conduct and incarceration has caused their loved ones, in his consideration of the petition and reverse the “harsh and excessive” sentence.

They expressed their gratitude to God for keeping them safe during their incarceration and taking care of their loved ones as well.

“We give praise and thanks to the Almighty for keeping us safe during our imprisonment and given our wives and families strength to cope in the situation we found ourselves in,” Mugabe said

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana