Magistrate refuses bribe from accused

Nkawie (Ash), May 6, GNA - Mr Beresford Safo Acquah, the magistrate in-charge of the Nkawie court has warned people to refrain from attempting to bribe judges.

He said he preferred to have his name intact than to become rich through bribery, adding, "good name is better than riches".

Mr Acquah gave the warning at the sitting of the court at Nkawie on Thursday when he openly rebuked two opinion leaders of Tabere near Atwima-Akropong for attempting to bribe him in an assault case. He said the opinion leaders, Mr Kwabena Owusu and Mr Kwame Nkrumah, led one Maame Yaa, one of four accused persons who had appeared before him in an assault case to his residence with an envelope containing money.

Mr Acquah asked the people within the court's jurisdiction to stop saying that he came with nothing and will go with empty hands because he refuses to be bribed.

Following the attempted bribery, he said he would write to the Supervising High Court Judge to have the case transferred to another court for trial.

The facts of the case as told by Chief Inspector A.K. Fandoh were that Adwoa Badu, Nana Amma, Yaa Yaa and Maame Yaa, the accused persons, who are traders and Madam Georgina Maaboa, the complainant, all reside at Tabere.

He said on February 16, this year, there was a fracas between the two sons of Madam Adwoa Badu, one of the accused persons and Madam Maaboa.

Chief Inspector Fandoh said at the time of the incident, the complainant was absent and so on her return, she went to Madam Badu to see how best to resolve the misunderstanding between the two teenagers. He said Madam Badu's daughter, Maame Yaa objected to the amicable settlement of the misunderstanding.

Chief Inspector Fandoh said Maame Yaa then marshalled her mother, Adwoa Badu, Nana Yaa and Yaa Yaa who trailed the complainant to her house and assaulted her until she became unconscious and had to be rushed to hospital.

He stated further that the accused persons, not satisfied with the harm they had already caused, went on to throw stones at the house of the complainant.

Chief Inspector Fandoh said a report was therefore, made to the police who arrested them and after investigations arraigned them before the court.