Ga Council Prez Convicted for Contempt Over Nii Tackie Adama Latse II

An Accra High Court has convicted Nii Dodoo Nsaki, II Acting President of the Ga Traditional Council (GTC) for contempt for failing to induct the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Adama Latse II as president of the Council.

This follows what the court noted as the flouting of the orders of the court on two separate occasions ordering Nii Dodoo Nsaki II to induct the Ga Chief.

The court presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Cudjoe Agbodakpi in a ruling on Friday upheld the arguments of lawyers of the Ga Mantse and convicted the GTC acting president for contempt.

He was admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two sureties to be justified and deferred sentencing until November 16, 2018.

The court also handed Nii Dodoo Nsaki II a 14-day ultimatum to hand over to the Ga Chief.

Bright Akwetey, lawyer for the Chief on July 14, 2016 filed an application for judicial review in the nature of mandamus against the contemnor together with the GTC.

The court in its ruling dated January 17, 2018 ruled in favour of Nii Tackie Adama Latse II, ordering the respondent to swear the Chief into office within seven days.

The affidavit in support of the contempt application argued that on January 23, 2017 (within the six and seventh day), the contemnor was required to swear Nii Tackie Adama Latse II into office, fearsome land guards engaged by Nii Dodoo Nsaki II besieged the Ga Mantse’s Palace where the chief was to be sworn in and took over the premises, thus denying anybody access to the palace and offices of the Council.

The lawyer said the contemnor’s refusal to swear in the Ga Mantse and in defiance of the court order with the intention to deceive the court, filed a motion for stay of execution of the order dated January 17, 2017 and attached a notice of appeal against the ruling.

Lawyers for the Ga Mantse posited that the application was withdrawn by the lawyers of Nii Dodoo Nsaki, leaving the order of the court to induct the Chief into office not obeyed.

The 26-paragraph affidavit in support of the contempt application argued that “the effect of withdrawing the application for stay of execution is that the respondent has succeeded in eventually refusing to carry out the orders of this court for the second time”.

It added: “The respondent having on two distinct occasions disobeyed two separate orders of this court has shown himself rebellious, recalcitrant and disrespectful of the orders of this court.”

Lawyers for the Ga Mantse insisted that the contemnor on October 23, 2017, strangely purported to have sworn in another person called Dr. Kelvin Tackie into office as the Ga Mantse and president of the Council.

He stated that Dodoo Nsaki II by the act has sworn into office a different person who has not been registered as president of the GTC contending that “the attitude of the respondent constitutes a slap in the face of the court. He has shown gross disrespect and blatant disregard for the orders of this court.”

According to the lawyer, Dodoo Nsaki, II using his powers as acting president of the GTC effectively blocked the registered and gazetted Ga Mantse from taking office in open defiance of the orders of the court “to satisfy his own whims and caprices.”

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson