3 Chiefs, others beg Sunyani High Court over contempt charges

The five Chiefs and three others from the Mo Traditional Council who were cited for contempt at the High Court in Sunyani made their first appearance in Court on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 and through their legal representation are begging the court for more time to file their defense.

The defendants including Nana Adjei Adinkrah II, Krontihene of the Mo Traditional Council, Nana Bisakwan II, who doubles as the Benkumhene of the Mo Traditional Council and the Chief of Manchala Sampson Adre, a tutor, who was purportedly enstooled as the Omanhene with the stool name Nnaa Nfadjo II were present in court when the suit was called by His Lordship Justice Patrick Bayeh of the Sunyani High Court III according to our court correspondent.

However, Nana Tebalakala, the Gyasehene of the Mo Traditional Council and Nana Akwasi Gyimah III, the Akyeamehene were absent in court but according to the solicitor for the respondents, Kwadwo Bosompim Esq, the former is out of jurisdiction and the latter hospitalized.

The other respondents including Opanin Kwadwo Dagbi, the Abusuapanin of the Leera Royal Family, Mr. Anthony Saahene, the son of the late Nana Kwaku Dimpoh who was the immediate past Omanhene of Mo and a member of the Paago Royal Family and Opanin George Nsiah also of the Paago Royal Family were visibly present in court throughout proceedings.

The atmosphere was very tensed reading from the faces of respondents but their Lead Counsel pleaded with the honorable court to grant him ample time to enable him file all the responses for the individual respondents since some of them were served two days prior to hearing of the suit.

However, the Solicitor for the Applicant, Williwise A. Kyeremeh of the Ankobea Law Centre, Sunyani argued for the granting of a shorter duration which was upheld by the court. The respondents were thus given up to 18/07/2018 to file all the responses with the next adjourning date fixed for the 30/07/2018.

There was near commotion at the court premises when both parties with their respective counsels were descending the staircase. Supporters of the 5th respondent who was purportedly enskined as the Omanhene legitimized the enstoolment by according Nana Nfadjo II (known in private life as Sampson Adre) all the courtesies associated with a legitimized Omanhene by covering him with a gigantic umbrella and aiding him to walk.

The applicant, Nana Kwaku Dankwah, whose enstoolment as Omanhene of the Mo Traditional Council in November 2014 is being challenged by the respondents at the Judicial Committee of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs protested profusely which caught the eye of the counsel for the respondents who in turn advised them to desist from such acts.

The intervention by counsel brought normalcy at the scene which transcended to Kintampo where canopies & chairs, drums etc which hitherto were being drummed on daily basis after the purported enstoolment stopped and taken away from the premises of the 5th respondent.

It will be recalled that on Tuesday, July 9, 2018 news went viral that a Contempt Suit has been filed at the high court in Sunyani. According to a writ filed at the court by Lawyers of the applicant, all 8 persons exhibited gross disrespect for the law and also exhibited a conduct which exposes the administration of justice to public ridicule by defying the court orders and enskining one Sampson Adre as the Omanhene of the Mo Traditional Council with the stool name Nnaa Nfadjo II.

The petitioners are demanding that those personalities who performed the customary function at New Longoro on the 10/05/2018 associated with the enskinment should be cited for Contempt and punished accordingly.