Tribunal directs police to serve Nungua Chiefs properly

Editors' case adjourned to July 21

Tema, (Greater Accra) 20^th July '99,

The Tema Community Tribunal today directed the police to properly serve summons on 19 elders of the Nungua traditional area who failed to appear before it on Monday to answer why they should not be bonded to keep the peace in the area.

The tribunal, chaired by Capt. Philip Agbeyome (rtd), gave the order after only five out of 24 elders appeared to answer charges brought against them following shooting incidents during the illegal installation of new chiefs for Lashibi and Sakumono in May and June, this year.

ASP Michael Yirenkyi had told the tribunal that the elders were duly served with the summons through the Secretary of the Nungua Traditional Council and requested the tribunal to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of those absent.

Capt. Agbeyome however agreed with Mr Osafo Buabeng, counsel for the respondents that in criminal cases it is a matter of personal responsibility and as such the summons must be received personally.

After the tribunal's ruling, ASP Yirenkyi stated that he would like to differ from the tribunal's decision since substituted service is allowed.

The summons said the activities of the 24 respondents had raised tension in those areas and this could explode into violent clashes any time, because they acted against the wishes of the Nungua traditional authorities.

In their affidavit in opposition, the Nungua elders said they have already enstooled Nii Whang as chief of Lashibi under the stool name Nii Whang Oweni II and Nii Alabi Gbese II as chief of Sakumono without any opposition.

This, they said, was in response to the elevation of Nungua to a paramountcy which makes it necessary to enstool chiefs to constitute the new traditional council to be established.

The tribunal adjourned till Monday August nine, this year, to enable all the respondents to appear.

GRi

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Accra, (Greater Accra) 20 July '99,

A circuit court which is trying two editors charged with making publications likely to injure the reputation of the Government, on Monday adjourned the case to July 21 at the instance of the prosecution.

The prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu, who is the Deputy Attorney-General, wrote to the court to have the case adjourned because he was attending to an equally important official assignment.

Eben Quarcoo, formerly with the "Free Press" and Kofi Coomson of the "Ghanaian Chronicle" in 1996 published in their papers that the Government was dealing in drugs and using the proceeds to purchase arms and ammunition to destablise the country if it lost the 1996 general elections.

They have pleaded not guilty and each is on a 10 million-cedi bail.

GRi../

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