REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, TEMA; EX PARTE KOFI [1999]DLCA472

Date	1999-05-20
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1999]DLCA472

WOOD JA

BROBBEY JA

ARYEETEY JA

M K YANKAH FOR THE RESPONDENT-APPLICANT.

OSAFO BUABENG FOR THE APPLICANT-RESPONDENT.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1999]DLCA472</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">COUNSEL</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">M K YANKAH FOR THE RESPONDENT-APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">OSAFO
BUABENG FOR THE APPLICANT-RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">WOOD,
BROBBEY AND ARYEETEY JJA<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">JUDGMENT
OF WOOD JA</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The parties in these proceedings
are the parties in a suit pending before the High Court, Tema presided over by
Felicity Amoah J. On 22 January 1999 she found the applicant “guilty” of
contempt for having disobeyed an interim order made in the course of the
pending civil cause. She made the following pronouncement with regard to
“sentence”:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">“I find the respondent guilty and for his contemptuous act he is
sentenced to a fine of ¢3 million or in default three months imprisonment. ¢2
million of the fine when paid should be given to the applicant as compensation.
The respondent is to pay the fine within ten days. He is therefore admitted to
bail in the sum of ¢3 million with one surety to be justified. I award costs of
¢200,000 against the respondent.”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Within four days of the order, the
applicant, in the exercise of his legitimate rights, has appealed against the
ruling, ie the finding that he was in contempt of court and the sentence. He
quickly followed it up with a motion for stay of execution pending appeal,
which unfortunately the trial court found unmeritorious and consequently
dismissed. He is therefore, by this present motion applying for that interim
relief, which was denied him by the court below. The main grounds upon which
the appeal was filed and on which also this motion was argued before us, in an
attempt to demonstrate that his is no frivolous appeal, but one with a very
high success rate are the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">“(1) That the ruling was an error in law as the applicant was
wrongly found guilty for a criminal contempt when the act complained of was,
properly speaking in the nature of a civil contempt.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">(2) The sentence which was imposed was harsh excessive and
oppressive, having regard to the circumstances of the case, particularly when
the evidence did not show that the respondent suffered any loss as a result of
his alleged continuous acts.”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: </main>