Nene petitions Chief Justice

Nene Kwaku Darpoh I, Head of Arden and Darpoh family in Dawhenya in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region has petitioned the Chief Justice to transfer the land suits between him and Agnes Nortey at Financial Court 2 in Accra because he believes he would not have a fair trial at that court.

The petitioner is engulfed in multiplicity of suits involving over 7000-acres of land situated at Dawhenya near Tema at the Financial Court 2 presided over by Justice John Adjet Nasam.

He alleged the trail judge have been making prejudicial statements on the case coupled with hostility to the petitioner and his lawyers, which had compelled the lawyers to withdraw from the case.

The Arden and Darpoh family heads further mentioned that the trial judge had already presided over the same case after the Osu-Wem family transferred him from the High Court in Tema following a petition by the Osu-Wem that the family were not receiving a fair hearing from all the judges sitting at the High Court in Tema.

According to him, for some strange reasons, the case pending at the High Court in Tema involving the Osu-Wem were transferred to a Judge, Justice John Adjet Nasam sitting at the Financial Court 2 in Accra.

He said one of the transferred suits entitled, African Institute of Journalism vs Abed Nortey, the same Judge Adjet Nasam who presided over that case gave judgement that the Oshiokpo lands belonged to the Osu-Wem family.

The Arden and Darpoh I Family Head was of the view that upon the above judgement, their case entitled Nene Kwaku Darpoh I vs Agnes Nortey; Edmund Mensah Darpoh vs Abed Nortey, Justice Adjet Nasam made up his mind to enter judgement for the defendant since the defendants were also claiming that the disputed land formed part of the Oshiokpo land and belonged to the Osu-Wem family.

He explained that since the trial judge had already held that Oshiokpo lands belonged to the Osu-Wem family, allowing that same judge to sit on the Nene Kwaku Darpoh’s case was not advisable.

Nene Darpoh I alleged that on numerous occasions, the Judge had said the Defendant lawyer, Mr George Heward-Mills was the court prefect and due to that, he treated him differently.

He contended when the suit came before the judge, he consistently made comments in open court that he had a special interest in the case as the Chief Justice had asked him to report daily to her about the progress and development in the suit.

According to him, they were yet to come to terms with the reasons why the case attracted so much interest as to cause the Judge to make a daily report to the Chief Justice as alleged to have been said by the Judge. For a reason such as this, they are pleading that the case be transferred to another court for further hearing, to prove fair justice.