[2017]DLHC17257 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><a name="_Hlk157437484"></a><a name="_Hlk152146143"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">MR AKRASI SARPONG AND MARY MENSAH EX PARTE: JAMES ELEKE CHUKWU SUNNY IKECHUKWU BENJY EKE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">(DEFENDANTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt 168.75pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua""> </span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">SUIT NO. CR 165/16 DATE: 21<sup>ST</sup> MARCH,2017</span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">RAPHAEL AGYAPONG ESQ., FOR THE FIRST RESPONDENT STEPHEN SAH ESQ., FOR THE SECOND RESPONDENT AUGUSTINE OBOUR ESQ., FOR THE APPLICANTS<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE CHARLES EDWARD EKOW BAIDEN</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">JUDGMENT</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">Background<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:115%"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 0cm;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:1.0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; letter-spacing:-.05pt">[1]<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">This is an application for an order to commit the Respondents for contempt of court. The application was first filed on 8 July 2016 with an amended application filed on 15 July 2016. The 1<sup>st</sup> Respondent, Mr. Yaw Akrasi Sarpong used to be the Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB),<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>body<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>charged<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>responsibility<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span>fighting<span style="letter-spacing:-.4pt"> </span>drug<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>menace<span style="color:red">.<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span></span>The 2<sup>nd</sup> Respondent, Ms. Mary Mensah, is a journalist who reports for the Daily Graphic newspaper.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 0cm;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:1.0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; letter-spacing:-.05pt">[2]<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The brief facts are that on 13 June 2016, the High Court, Accra, presided over by His Lordship Mr. Justice Justin K. Dorgu granted bail to the Applicants herein who are also Accused persons in a case pending before that Court, that is<span style="letter-spacing:3.35pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:3.35pt"> </span>say,<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span><b><u>THE<span style="letter-spacing:3.35pt"> </span>REPUBLIC<span style="letter-spacing:3.4pt"> </span>V<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>JAMES<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>ELEKE<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>CHUKU<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>&<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>1<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>ANOR<span style="letter-spacing:3.35pt"> </span>IN<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>SUIT<span style="letter-spacing:3.3pt"> </span>NO. CR/65/2016</u></b>.<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>After<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>bail<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>granted<span style="letter-spacing:-.6pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt"> </span>Applicants<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>pending<span style="letter-spacing:-.6pt"> </span>trial,<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>1<sup>st</sup> Respondent granted an interview to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Respondent who reported, authored and/or caused a news article to be published in the Daily Graphic newspaper<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>relation<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>bail<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>granted.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>The<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>newspaper<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>attributes<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt"> </span>authorship of the news article to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Respondent.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 0cm;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:1.0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><sp