THE REPUBLIC vs. STEPHEN OBENG DARKO ESQ. [2023]DLHC12177

Date	2023-03-20
Suit No.	SUIT NO: GJ/0373/2023
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC12177

KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO JA

MR. JONATHAN T. SARBLAH WITH HAFFIS SAEED FOR THE APPLICANT - PRESENT

MR. ROSENBERG OWUSU ADOKOH FOR THE RESPONDENT – PRESENT

[2023]DLHC12177
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AFUA ASANTEWAA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HANSAS COMPLEX LIMITED, RANA MOTORS
&amp; METAL WORKS LTD,
REGISTRAR, HIGH COURT (LAND DIVISION) AND MR. IMAD ZIBB<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;IN
THE MATTER OF:<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>STEPHEN OBENG DARKO ESQ.<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<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;
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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO: GJ/0373/2023&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:
20TH MARCH, 2023.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. JONATHAN T. SARBLAH WITH HAFFIS SAEED 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;">

MR. ROSENBERG
OWUSU ADOKOH FOR THE RESPONDENT – PRESENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO, JA<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="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;KWEKU
T. ACKAAH-BOAFO, JA<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Introduction:<o:p></o:p>[1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Respondent, a licensed lawyer by
profession and a member in good standing of the<o:p></o:p>Ghana
Bar Association is the subject matter of this application for contempt of
court. The application prays the Court to use "the big stick of civil
litigation," as described by this Court in an umepo1ied case of Republic versus Kamassah &amp; 4 Others
with Suit No: AP 227/2016 delivered
on October 11, 2016. The motion paper in this application provides as follows:<o:p></o:p>"TAKE NOTICE
that this Honourable Court will be moved by JONATHAN T. SARBLAH ESQ, Counsel
for Applicants herein, praying this Honourable Court for an order of committal
for contempt against Respondent herein to a 10-Days prison sentence upon the
grounds contained in the affidavit in support".<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
Case against the Respondent:<o:p></o:p>[2]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The application has the 13 paragraphed
affidavit of Rebecca Abbey, who is described as a clerk of the "Solicitor
for the Applicants". It is interesting that the deponent refers to
"Applicants" because the application itself does not name anyone as
the "Applicant". I shall revisit this issue later in this decision.
The Respondent is described as Counsel for "Afua Asantewaa, the Plaintiff
in the substantive suit". According to the deponent,
"Respondent-Contemnor is involved in unprofessional conduct in respect of
his aiding and abetment of a pattern of impropriety by Afua Asantewaa, the
Plaintiff in the substantive suit thereof'. According to the deponent, the
conduct of the "Respondent-Contemnor is calculated to obstruct the course
of justice against AFUA ASANTEWAA contrary to the Legal Profession Act and the
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette Rules)".<o:p></o:p>[3]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The deponent also stated that "the
conduct of the Respondent-Contemnor has led to the gross abuse of the judicial
processes of Court in respect of aiding Afua Asantewaa to disrespect Court
Orders and Rulings thereby making mockery of the justice system". It was
fu1iher deposed that "the Respondent/Contemnor is abusing the judicial
processes of Court to obstruct the course of justice for Afua Asantewaa
contrary to the duty imposed on all practicing lawyers as "Officers"
of the Court to ensure that Orders of the Court are duly obeyed or complied
wi</main>