Ex-chief defies court order to surrender stool properties

Juaso (Ash), Aug 17, GNA - Nana Owusu Akyaw Prempeh, ex-chief of Juaso in the Asante-Akim South district, vanished after being served a six-week notice to surrender stool properties in his possession on Monday.

Having been destooled and subsequently ordered by the Judicial Committee of Juaben Traditional Council with oversight responsibilities of Juaso, to surrender all stool properties in his possession, Nana Prempeh filed an application at a Kumasi High Court praying for an order of judicial review on the grounds that the Committee had no jurisdiction to destool him.


However, following the dismissal of the application which also sought for an order of certiori to quash the Committee's ruling, the Juaso circuit court on July 6, 2006 served Nana Prempeh notice to hand over all stool properties in his possession to the kingmakers of Juaso on Monday, August 14.


But when a delegation comprising the kingmakers and a combined team of police personnel from the Konongo Divisional Command and the Kumasi Buffalo Unit arrived at the palace, they were informed that Nana Prempeh had travelled.


The delegation, who met one Madam Akosua Kyiafi and Ema Sarpomaa, wife and daughter respectively of Nana Prempeh, asked them to inform Nana on his return that they had come to take over the stool properties in his possession.

The delegation, who returned to the Juaso district police headquarters, after a closed door meeting, suspended the mission pending the return of Nana Prempeh.


Barima Sarfrotwie Sarpong, the newly enstooled chief of Juaso, briefing newsmen later said he would consult his lawyers to determine the next line of action to retrieve the properties. He said he would continue to pursue legal and fair means to take over the properties to avoid the perennial chieftaincy clashes at Juaso in the interest of the citizenry.


It would be recalled that the Judicial Committee of the Juaben Traditional Council on March 21, 1994 destooled Nana Prempeh instigating series of sporadic clashes between the two factions in the Juaso chieftaincy dispute.


As a result, all efforts to retrieve the stool properties in Nana Prempeh's possession have proved futile as he has contested the decision at various courts, including the National and Regional House of Chiefs, all of which he lost.