A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Jabir Mohammed, has criticised the manner in which an arrest warrant was issued against social commentator Kelvin Taylor, stating that he should have been granted a fair hearing before such action was taken.

His comments follow a Supreme Court ruling on 21st July 2025, which quashed a 2020 arrest warrant issued by the High Court for contempt. The warrant was in response to what the court described at the time as “extremely scandalous” comments by Taylor against the judiciary.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on Monday, 22nd July, Mr Mohammed said the process violated Taylor’s right to due process.

“You realise that Kelvin Taylor has been on the wanted list for a very long time, and that is because he was so critical of the previous government’s way of handling things,” he stated.

He added that Taylor was never invited to defend himself in court prior to the issuance of the warrant.

“For me, that isn’t fair to the gentleman. He should have been given a fair hearing, and at the end of the day, if the court finds him guilty, then a warrant of arrest can be issued.”

Drawing comparisons with other legal proceedings, Mr Mohammed argued that it is standard practice for accused persons to be served and allowed to respond before the issuance of arrest warrants.

“That is a different matter altogether from someone speaking on social media and being accused of contempt just because they criticised the judiciary,” he said.

He also questioned the broader implications of the move on freedom of speech.

“Just like me, as I’m speaking here, they could come and say I’ve done something contemptuous of court. Yet you haven’t even asked me to come to court to defend myself, and you issue a warrant for my arrest. Can you believe that?”

While acknowledging that not all of Taylor’s remarks were appropriate, Mr Mohammed insisted that due process should have prevailed.

“Even though Taylor said some things that were not right, not everything he said was wrong. He should be given a fair hearing, and if there are appropriate sanctions to be given to him, they should be given.”