Court registrar charged with theft

Samuel Agbah Otu, Agona Swedru High Court Registrar, on Thursday appeared before an Accra Magistrate's court for allegedly stealing 46,000 Ghana cedis belonging to a Swedru based businesswoman, Madam Rose Ami Kpogah.

He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of 5000 Ghana cedis with two sureties to reappear in court on February 28, 2013.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police, whose name was given in court as Cletus, told the court, presided over by Mariam Aful, that the accused was arrested on Tuesday, February 8, 2013, on the order of the Chief Justice, Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood.

According to the prosecution, the order followed a petition to the Chief Justice by the businesswoman about the conduct of the registrar.

The persecution said the businesswoman expressed interest to purchase a cold store at a judicial auction sale on February 10, 2011 at Agona Swedru which was ordered by the High Court in Cape Coast.

The prosecution said Mr Otu was then the registrar of the Cape Coast High Court who supervised the process of the auction sales of the cold store.

Prosecution said after the petitioner had paid the sum of 46,000 Ghana cedis, being the cost of the facility to Otu, he did not give her the certificate of purchase.

He told the court that the registrar later told the businesswoman that another High Court in Cape Coast had set aside the execution process and thus rendered the judicial sale of the first High Court invalid.

Prosecution said the petitioner requested for refund of the money, but the registrar disregarded the demand claiming that the money had been paid through the bank to the consolidated fund.

He said Madam Kpogah, after waiting patiently for two years and was not getting her money back, applied to the Agona Swedru High Court for order of mandamus.

Prosecution said when the businesswoman was still not getting the money she petitioned the Chief Justice to assist her retrieve the money from the Judicial Service.