Complainant goes in for insulting judge
Trader petitions Attorney General over delay
in judgement
Complainant goes in for insulting judge
Accra (Greater Accra) 01 November 2001 – A Circuit Tribunal in Accra on Wednesday remanded a trader, Georgina Adjei Asare in prison custody for a week for insulting a judge in open court.
Georgina who was the complainant in the case became infuriated after one of two accused persons who were brought before the circuit tribunal chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah for stealing was discharged to enable the police to do proper investigation.
Georgina, 36, whose plea was not taken, was charged with disturbance of court and insulting the court. She is scheduled to re-appear on November 5.
The tribunal chaired by Imoru Ziblim heard that Georgina, a complainant in a case in which Mavis Marfoah and Frederick Arhin are charged with stealing, insulted the trial judge in the substantive case, Mrs. Anderson Yebuah, when she discharged Marfoah for the police to do proper investigation.
Immediately Marfoah was discharged, Georgina burst out in open court with insults and brought proceedings to a halt. She is said to have accused Mrs Anderson Yebuah of collecting bribes from the defendants.
She also said Mrs Yebuah had collected a car from the Reverend Dr Annoh Yeboah as bribe.
GRi…/
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Trader petitions Attorney General over
delay in judgement
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 01 November 2001 - Mr. Kofi Nimo, a Kumasi based trader, has petitioned the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to prevail upon the Ashanti Regional Public Tribunal to deliver judgement in an appeal case filed by Nana Sarfo Ababio, chief of Kotei near Kumasi, for which proceedings ended in June last year.
Mr Nimo said he has been compelled to take the action because, though the tribunal fixed October 13, 2000 for judgement it has not done so.
He expressed fear that if the tribunal system was abolished as was being contemplated, the judgement on the case would "die a natural death".
The petitioner mentioned that he purchased a piece of land from the Kotei Plot Allocation Committee, which was headed by the chief in 1994 and started building his house.
He said Warrant Officer Class One Yaw Akoto pulled down the house, which was at the lintel level and investigations revealed that Nana Sarfo has sold that same piece of land to the military personnel.
Mr. Nimo said the case was reported to the Zongo Police and Nana Sarfo was arrested and charged for making conflicting grants of the same piece of land, fraud by false pretences, and conspiracy to cause damage.
He said the chief was put before the tribunal, found guilty and fined one million cedis or in default serve two years in jail in hard labour, adding that Nana Sarfo paid the fine and appealed against the judgement.
Mr Nimo said the appeal commenced in April 1997 at the Ashanti Regional tribunal, presided over by Mr. Kwasi Aggrey and a panel of four stressed that, for three years the case dragged on with adjournments.
He said the trial was completed in June 2000 and the tribunal fixed October 13 for judgement but, "sadly we are now in October, 2001 and after several postponements on the judgement, His Lordship Aggrey is now on transfer to Cape Coast and I do not hear of him any longer".
"Since January this year, we have been visiting the regional tribunal only to be told by the registrar that they have not been hearing of Mr. Aggrey".
Mr Nimo said Nana Sarfo has taken advantage of the development and has allowed another person to develop the land in question.
He said the case has been reported to the Attorney- General's office in Kumasi, which issued an order to the Zongo police to arrest the land developer but nothing has been done.
GRi…/
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