THE REPUBLIC vs. NANA ABENA KWAKYI AND POKUAA SIRIBOE EXPARTE

THE REPUBLIC vs. NANA ABENA KWAKYI AND POKUAA SIRIBOE EXPARTE – MRS. CATHERINE [2019]DLHC10523

Date	2019-01-29
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: CR/13/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC10523

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]DLHC10523
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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<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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE:
29TH
JANUARY, 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 <o:p></o:p>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>HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ELLEN VIVIAN AMOAH<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-left:4.5pt;text-align:center;
text-indent:-4.5pt;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:
0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<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;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;