Court of Appeal adjourns MDCC case sine die

Accra, Feb. 19, GNA - The Court of Appeal (CA) on Tuesday adjourned sine die a suit in which 17 members of the Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC) with headquarters at Gomoa Mozano are being cited for contempt. On March 2, 2006, the Agona Swedru High Court entered judgment against Prophet Miritaiah Jonah J ehu Appiah and removed him as the Akaboha (head) of the Church.

The Akaboha, who was not satisfied with the High Court's decision, filed the current motion at the Court of Appeal on March 8, 2006 challenging the decision of the Swedru High Court.

On December 29, 2007, five of the 17 members, styling themselves as the Interim Management Committee of the Church, with the active support of the 12 others, installed the Reverend Mockna Jeeba Fiifi Jehu Appiah as the new Akaboha of the Church.

It is this action of the 17 members which has warranted the current contempt application brought against them by Prophet Jehu Appiah. The explanation is that once the matter is being challenged at a higher court and it has neither been determined nor struck out by the Court of Appeal, the 17 members had no legal right to go ahead to install a new Akaboha.

By so doing, they have not only interfered with the administration of justice, but have also been disrespectful and for that matter contemptuous to the CA.

When the matter came up for hearing at the CA on Tuesday, Mr Gustav Addington, counsel for Prophet Jehu Appiah, told the court that only eight out of the 17 members cited for contempt had been served. Consequently, the court ordered counsel to ensure that the court processes be served on the rest and adjourned the case indefinitely. This means after counsel has ensured that the processes have been served on the 17 members, he will then inform the court, which will in turn fix a date to go into the merits of the matter.