By: Clifford Okyere
The Financial and Economic Crime Division 2 of the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, has sentenced a former Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr Mustapha Ahmed to seven days imprisonment for contempt of court.
This comes after his violation of a court order which restrained the former minister from trespassing on a land, in a court judgement on June 12, 2019, where the Minister was a defendant.
The court has subsequently fined him GH¢12,000 which in default, would serve 30 days in prison; which when paid, Gh5000 be paid to the contempt initiator, Mr Kofi Ammoh Kwafo.
The contempt motion arose from a land litigation case six years ago, in which the former Minister, sold land to Mr Kwafo in the year 2000 and later reclaimed it under the pretext of making a mistake.
Mr Kwafo also attached the Chief of Defence Staff and the Director-General of Logistics in the contempt application due to their refusal to execute the judgement of the court by occupying a property that built on a land in dispute.
Justice Asare-Botwe, who serve on both the court of Appeal and High court seat, noted that both were not personally served with copies of the court land litigation judgement of 2019. In his affidavit, Mr Kwafo stated that the respondents conducted themselves in a manner that brought the administration of justice into disrepute.
In defence, Mr Christopher A. Fynn, counsel for the former minster, claimed in his written submission that his client cannot be held in contempt since no evidence was presented to establish that he had violated any order, instruction, or decision of the court to warrant such action.
