Edina Chief granted bail

By: David Allan Paintsil, Cape Coast
The jailed Paramount Chief of the Elmina (Edina) Traditional Council, Nana Kwadwo Conduah VI, has been granted bail by a Cape Coast High Court, after filing for a motion of mitigation of sentence by his counsel, Ebo Dawson.

On Tuesday, the presiding High Court Judge, His Lordship Justice James B. Benson, said the court had reduced Nana Conduah's jail term from three months to eight days, which expired on Monday, because Conduah had apologised and showed remorse for his disrespect to the court, coupled with a medical report that he was not well, resulting in the granting of bail to the vociferous chief.

Justice Benson then urged Ebo Dawson, to undertake the necessary documentation for the release of the chief from the Ankaful Prison where he served eight days in jail after the court had convicted him on contempt of court.

The counsel for the applicant, Ato Amponsah Dadzie, appealed to the court to call the followers of the Edina Chief to order, because since the incarceration of Nana Conduah, they had been verbally and physically attacking supporters of Supi Asmah.

Ebo Dawson, however, assured the court that he would do everything possible to restrain the followers of his client from misbehaving in Elmina, so as to ensure peace in the tourist city.

Almost all the sub-chiefs of the Elmina Traditional Council, dressed in black clothes to signify that they were mourning the incarceration of their chief, and well wishers of the jailed chief filled every available space in the court room.

Nana Conduah was sentenced to three months imprisonment last week by a Cape Coast High Court for contempt of court in a chieftaincy case filed by Supi Asmah in 2002, restraining the chief from holding himself as the Omanhen (Paramount Chief) of the Edina Traditional Area.

But, Nana Conduah disrespected the court on five occasions, by defying court orders, and held himself as Omanhen of the area.

What broke the camel's back were items received by Nana Conduah from the Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) in support of the celebration of the Bakatue Festival last year at his palace, and which was published by The Chronicle, which is believed to have been cited in court as major evidence to sentence Nana Conduah.

Meanwhile, tempers flared between the two factions at the premises of the court complex, as followers of Supi Asmah and Nana Conduah traded verbal and physical fisticuffs.