THE REPUBLIC vs. FRANCIS L.A. BROWN AND EXPARTE: VICTOR AGGOE BRIANDT FRANCIS KPAKPO BROWN [2018]DLHC4017

THE REPUBLIC vs. FRANCIS L.A. BROWN AND EXPARTE: VICTOR AGGOE BRIANDT FRANCI... [2018]DLHC4017

Date	2018-11-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO: CR/517/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLHC4017

JUSTICE KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO

ANDREWS TETTEH FOR THE APPLICANT

ABENA DUMA AIDOO HOLD BRIEF SOMUAH ASAMOAH FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2018]DLHC4017
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FRANCIS L.A. BROWN AND EXPARTE: VICTOR
AGGOE BRIANDT&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; FRANCIS KPAKPO BROWN<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">[HIGH COURT (GENERAL JURISDICTION
DIVISION, COURT 6) ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

SUIT
NO: CR/517/2018&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">27TH NOVEMBER, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ANDREWS TETTEH FOR THE APPLICANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

ABENA
DUMA AIDOO HOLD BRIEF SOMUAH ASAMOAH FOR THE RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">JUSTICE
KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Introduction:&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>[1]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This
matter was originally scheduled for Thursday, November 22, 2018. On the said
day however, the Respondents did not attend Court. The issued Bench Warrants
but same were later rescinded when the Respondents came to Court at about 2pm
with their Counsel.<o:p></o:p>I start this decision with a quote of
Lord Byron (1788-1824) a rather
flamboyant former member of the British House of Lords. He is credited with the
statement that: “He who holds no Laws in awe, He must perish by the Law”. Put
simply, ordinarily, the law must be
obeyed, no matter the circumstances. <o:p></o:p>[2]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
learned (and one of the respected jurists in the Common Law tradition) Lord
Denning MR in the case of BRADBURY v. ENFIELD LONDON BOROUGH
COUNCIL [1967] 1 W.L.R. 1311 @ 1324 stated:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “Even
if chaos should result, still the law must be obeyed”.<o:p></o:p>[3]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Contempt of Court is the mechanism which
the law provides for the protection of the authority of the court from improper
interference. Contempt arises in many ways but includes a breach of a court
order, an attempt to obstruct the administration of justice, a deliberate
attack upon the integrity of a court or a judge that interferes with
proceedings, or some other form of conduct not foreseeable. Contempt of court
is part of a court's inherent jurisdiction and, as it is not precisely
prescribed or enacted, should be exercised with scrupulous care and only when
the circumstances are clear and beyond reasonable doubt.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[4]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The power of the High Court to punish
for contempt is provided in Articles 19(12) and 126 of the 1992 Republican
Constitution of Ghana, and re-enacted in S 36 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459)
as amended; S10 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and Order 50 of the
High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (CI 47).&nbsp; Order
50 of CI 47 sets the parameters by which an Applicant may move the court for an
order for an attachment for contempt of court.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[5]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There
is no codified legislation in Ghana that defines the act or omission that
constitute the offence of contempt unlike the United Kingdom
Contempt of Court Act<a href="fil</main>