THE REPUBLIC vs. ABUSUAKPANYILI KOFI ARKO & 2 ORS EX-PARTE: NANA ETEASE II, EGY ERZOAH [2023]DLHC17088

THE REPUBLIC vs. ABUSUAKPANYILI KOFI ARKO & 2 ORS EX-PARTE: NANA ETEASE II, EGY... [2023]DLHC17088

Date	2023-04-19
Suit No.	SUIT NO. E9/8/23
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC17088

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE

AGYENIM AGYEI-BOATENG ESQ

O.K. OSAFO-BUABENG ESQ.

PHILIP FIIFI BUCKMAN ESQ

[2023]DLHC17088
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">ABUSUAKPANYILI KOFI ARKO &amp; 2 ORS<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">&nbsp;<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">EX-PARTE: NANA ETEASE II, EGY ERZOAH<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">(APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">[HIGH
COURT, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;
mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:168.75pt 278.15pt;text-autospace:none">&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;&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; <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: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;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>SUIT NO. E9/8/23&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: 19TH APRIL 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>AGYENIM
AGYEI-BOATENG ESQ FOR O.K. OSAFO-BUABENG ESQ. FOR APPLICANTS <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;">

PHILIP FIIFI BUCKMAN ESQ FOR RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND
OSEI-HWERE<o:p></o: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: 1pt 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
Applicants herein have brought this contempt application against the
Respondents herein to vindicate the dignity of the court. They accuse the
Respondents of displaying gross contempt for the authority of the court by
willfully disrespecting an order of this Court and thereby bringing the
administration of justice into disrepute. Applicants are inviting the court to
sanction the Respondents through imprisonment.<o:p></o:p>Contempt
of court is a procedural mechanism deployed by the court through its inherent
power to protect its integrity and authority from wanton interference. The
interference includes willful disobedience of an order of the court, conduct
that tends to obstruct court processes and acts that tend to bring the dignity
of the court into disrepute. <o:p></o:p>In
the case of Republic v High Court ex parte Laryea Mensah [1997-98] 2GLR 1002 the
Supreme Court explained contempt as follows:<o:p></o:p>“A
person committed contempt and might be committed for contempt to prison for
willfully disobeying an order of a court requiring him to do any act other than
the payment of money or to abstain from doing some act. The order sought to be
enforced should however be unambiguous and had to be clearly understood by the
parties concerned, for the court would only punish as contempt a willful breach
of a clear court order requiring obedience to its performance.”<o:p></o:p>The
Supreme Court in OPOKU v LIBHERR FRANCE SAS &amp; ANOR [2012] 1 SCGLR 159 at 160 Holding
1 has held that:<o:p></o:p>“It
was well-settled that there were different forms of contempt.&nbsp; Underlying all of them, however, was one
basic notion, that the path of public justice should at all times be free from
obstruction.&nbsp; Conduct which tended to
create such an obstruction would constitute contempt.&nbsp; Thus interfering with witnesses or jurors;
frightening off parties to litigation; refusing to answer questions in court;
commenting on pending proceedings in such a manner as to pr</main>