Eighteen disputes pending before V/R Chieftaincy Tribunal
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
Two persons on remand for unlawful possession of narcotic drugs were on Thursday granted a 150-million-cedi bail each by an Accra Regional Tribunal.
The bail followed a motion by their counsel Casmir Komla Hoeyi. The three-member panel chaired by Mr Justice Adu Gyamfi ordered the accused, Kossi Ametor, businessman, and Komivi Eteba Ayena, trader, on remand at the James Fort Prisons, to report to the police every Tuesday.
Another Regional Tribunal remanded the accused persons in custody when they appeared on July 31st. Their plea was not taken and the case was adjourned to
October 16.
Customs officials arrested them at the Kotoka International Airport on July
26.
Arguing the motion for bail, Mr Hoeyi said since the police were yet to complete their investigations, there was the likelihood of the trial being unreasonably delayed.
For instance, he said, the substance seized from his clients would under-go laboratory analysis, while it would take the prosecution some time to assemble all their witnesses.
Hoeyi said since the possession of narcotics was not one of the offences for which the courts should refuse bail, section four of Article 14 of the Constitution empowers the tribunal to admit his clients to bail.
He assured the panel of his clients' preparedness to make themselves available whenever the prosecution was ready to start the trial.
GRi../
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Ho (Volta Region) 17 August 2001
A total of 18 chieftaincy disputes are pending before the Volta Regional Chieftaincy Tribunal at Ho, Rex Akitti, acting Registrar of the House said on Thursday.
He said in an interview that the cases involve petitions for destoolment, injunctions to stop installations and the right to paramountcy as well as the scope and extent of authority of certain chiefs.
Akitti said eight of the cases are appeals against judgements, one motion for extension of time to appeal, while the remaining nine were in the process of determination by the Tribunal.
The most protracted case in the records involves Togbe Gabusu VI, Paramount Chief of the Gbi Traditional Area and some of his elders who have petitioned for his destoolment.
Other disputes include the installation of the "Awomefia" of the Anlos and the rightful custodian of the Paramountcy of the Likpe and Dzodze traditional areas.
Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister, at a meeting with representatives of chiefs at Ho in March cited chieftaincy and land litigation as the major drawback to development in the region and advised the chiefs to withdraw all disputes from the courts to prevent the backlash, bitterness and acrimony which follows court decisions in which only one litigant triumphs.
Volta region currently has 15 paramount chiefs and 103 divisional chiefs.
GRi…/
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