THE REPUBLIC vs. NANA ABENA KWAKYI AND POKUAA SIRIBOE EXPARTE – MRS. CATHERINE AND KAKRA SIRIBOE [2019]DLHC10449

THE REPUBLIC vs. NANA ABENA KWAKYI AND POKUAA SIRIBOE EXPARTE – MRS. CATHERINE... [2019]DLHC10449

Date	2019-01-29
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: CR/13/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC10449

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ELLEN VIVIAN AMOAH

ACE ANKOMAH WITH PRINCE OPPONG BOAKYE AND THEODOSIA TANDOH FOR THE APPLICANT PRESENT

ADDO ATTUAH FOR THE RESPONDENT – PRESENT

[2019]DLHC10449
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NANA ABENA KWAKYI AND POKUAA SIRIBOE<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>EXPARTE – MRS. CATHERINE AND KAKRA SIRIBOE (NEE QUAIDOO)<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o: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="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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">SUIT
NO.: CR/13/2019 &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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE:
29THJANUARY,
2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ACE ANKOMAH WITH PRINCE OPPONG BOAKYE AND
THEODOSIA TANDOH FOR THE APPLICANT PRESENT<o:p></o: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="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">ADDO ATTUAH FOR THE
RESPONDENT – PRESENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o: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="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ELLEN
VIVIAN AMOAH<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;GENESIS
OF THIS CASE:<o:p></o:p>The applicants moved a
Motion for Contempt filed on the 12/10/2018 citing the respondents for contempt
specifically the breach of the court mandatory orders and interference with the
administration of justice. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Court then proceeded to rule on the existence
of a Prima facie case as follows...<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“BY COURT – &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This an application to cite the
respondents herein for contempt.&nbsp; It is
clearly the position of the law that an application for contempt is a serious
matter indeed.&nbsp; It is quasi criminal in
nature a position reiterated in a plethora of cases including Exparte Laryea Mensah 1998/99 SCGLR,
Exparte Ameyaw 1998/99 SCGLR.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>Bamford
Addo JSC as she then was in the above cited case of Exparte Laryea Mensah had this to say about the nature of contempt
when she quoted from Oswald’s Contempt of Court third edition page 6 as
follows:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp; “To speak generally, contempt of court may be
said to be constituted by any conduct that tends to bring the authority and the
administration of the into disrepute or to disregard or to interfere with or
prejudice parties, litigant ……and during litigation”&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It
should also be noted that in this proceedings the burden of proof is on the
applicant to show that the conduct of the respondent reaches the required
evidential threshold.&nbsp; The applicant must
prove the essential elements of contempt to the criminal standard being proof beyond
reasonable doubt. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;What
are these elements of contempt? <o:p></o:p>They
are the following;<o:p></o:p>i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
There must be a judgment or order requiring
the contemnor to do or abstained from doing something<o:p></o:p>ii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
It must be shown that the contemnor knows
precisely what he/she is expected to do or abstained from doing.<o:p></o:p>iii)