The alleged footage of the MCE demanding money
The High Court (Kumasi) admitted as evidence a viral video in which the failed Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) nominee, Alexander Kwabena Sarfo -Kantanka, could be seen and heard demanding money from Assembly Members.
Despite the objections of the accused’s counsel, the video was admitted into evidence.
The accused lost the endorsement twice and the alleged bribe money.
The tape was tendered in evidence by the OSP’s final and sixth witness.
The case has been adjourned for cross-examination of the Republic’s final witness on June 22, 2023.
Background
In 2022, the Special Prosecutor dragged Alexander Sarfo-Kantanka before the High Court in Kumasi.
He was charged with 26 counts of election-related corruption.
Sarfo -Kantanka, who failed to secure the needed votes to become the MCE for the Juaben Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region after two rounds of voting in September and November 2021, was caught on camera demanding the return of monies he had paid to some members of the assembly to influence his confirmation.
The suspect allegedly gave the elected members of the assembly GH₵5000 each and gave GH₵2,500 to each of the government appointees.
In its statement at the time, the OSP said, “The Accused admitted gifting the indicated sums of money to the respective categories of the members of the Assembly to influence the outcome of the elections in his favour”.
Members of the Juaben Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region had, for the second time, rejected Sarfo-Kantanka as MCE after he failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed.
He received ten ‘Yes’ votes as against 15 ‘No’ votes with one ballot rejected.
Twenty out of the 26 assembly members boycotted the previous process that Friday, citing the heavy security presence at the venue.
After the process, he was captured in a viral video demanding his money back.
The OSP, in parts of the court documents, declared that the failed nominee “went berserk and vented his wrath on the members of the Assembly and angrily demanded a refund of the money he had gifted to them,” the Special Prosecutor said in the court documents.
He demanded that everyone who accepted the cash “return his money urgently”.
The police arrested him and subsequently granted him a self-recognizance bail on November 1, 2021.
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