Four IPS students set free after paying contempt fines

Accra, June 15, GNA - Four executive members of the Judicial Council of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), were on Wednesday found guilty of contempt of court by an Accra High Court for disobeying an injunction filed by the old SRC executive of the school.

The court in its ruling found the four students guilty of the offence and fined them GH¢500 each or in default serve a two-month jail term.

Mr Abednego Opoku Afriyie, Chairman of the SRC Judicial Council, Mr Abdul Aziz Abdallah, Ms Habiba Ibrahim, and Ms Habiba Abubakar, paid the fines and they were freed by the court.

The old SRC executive filed a motion at the Madina Magistrate's Court seeking an interlocutory injunction to restrain the Judicial Council executive from removing them from office and also asked that the members should be re-instated to their former positions.

The court in its ruling, struck out the motion for re-instatement of the old SRC executive but declined to rule on the contempt case, and referred the matter to the High Court because it had no power to determine the contempt matter.

The old SRC executive of IPS was removed from office on allegations that members had embezzled money belonging to the student body, and a new SRC executive was elected to replace the team.

However, the old SRC executive challenged the Judicial Council, stating that the grounds on which it was removed from office were unlawful and that members should be allowed to clear their names for which they filed the motion at the Madina Magistrate's Court.