Court issues Bench warrant for Electoral Commission member
Court issues Bench warrant for Electoral Commission member
Accra (Greater Accra) 11th December 99
An Accra High Court, on Friday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Professor Ernest Dumor, a member of the Electoral Commission (EC), who has been cited in a contempt case.
The order followed his failure to attend court on Friday, which has been fixed for ruling in the case in which he and eight others are being held for contempt.
A motion for contempt of court was filed in February, this year, by Mr. Thomas Nuako Ward-Brew, an Accra legal practitioner against them for supervising regional and national congresses of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) in January, 1997.
This was at a time a suit for an interim injunction against the party from holding the congress was pending before the court.
The eight others are, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Djan, Electoral Commissioner, Mr. David Kangah, Deputy Chairman, (operations), Mr. K. Safo Kantanka, Deputy Chairman, Madam Theresa Cole, Miss Elizabeth Solomon, all members of the EC, Mr. K. Arhin, Director of Operations of the E. C. and Mr Daniel Markin, Chairman of the DPP.
When the case was called, the court was informed that Mr. Afari-Djan and Mr. Kangah have travelled on official duties while Madam Cole was indisposed. The others were present.
No date has been fixed for the next hearing.
Mr. Ward-Brew, who claims to be the Chairman of the DPP, filed two suits against Mr. Markin asking the court to restrain him from holding the party's congress.
Notwithstanding the suits and even though Mr. Markin was aware of the legal actions, he allegedly ignored them and organised and held the congress.
The plaintiffs averred that he wrote a "formal letter" to the E. C. about the impending suits but the Commission and its members supervised the congress.
Mr. Ward-Brew said since the acts complained of were committed during the pendency of legal proceedings against Mr. Markin, he sought leave from the court, which was granted, to urge the court to commit the respondents for contempt.
GRi