Ogyeahoho Contempt Appeal Quashed By Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, to nullify a contempt application before the Sefwi Wiawso High Court.

Ogyeahoho, together with Charles K. Frimpong and Nana Anarfi Ababio of Bibiani, are in the court praying it to declare null and void a contempt application against them for flouting the orders of the court.

The five-member panel of judges, by a unanimous decision, ruled that the application be dismissed, saying the ruling of the High Court and the Appeals Court had been upheld.

Justice Gabriel Pwamang, reading the judgment, said the plaintiffs had indirectly flaunted the orders of the Court by not appearing before it to face the contempt charges against them.

He ordered the plaintiffs to within two weeks file their written submissions before the Sefwi Wiawso High Court to face the contempt charge.

The Court later awarded a cost of GH¢50,000.00 each to both plaintiffs.

In 1997, four kingmakers of the Western Region filed a case at the Traditional Council to destool the chief of Bibiani, Nana Ngoa Anyina Kodom II, to which they won on September 9, 1999.

The Chief of Bibiani later appealed to the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Sekondi, where the tribunal set aside the judgment of the Traditional Council, saying they considered the trial to be fraught with inconsistencies that it could not stand as a decision worthy of acceptance.

The tribunal ordered for a re-trial, for the plaintiffs to commence a fresh action for destoolment, provided they conform to the normal legal and customary requirements with an entirely new panel and to move to a neutral town, preferably Bibiani, for hearing.

Not satisfied with the ruling, the plaintiffs appealed to the Sefwi Wiawso High Court, where their application was dismissed, but they disregarded the ruling of the court and went ahead to enstool Charles K. Frimpong as the new chief of Bibiani.

The High Court cited them for contempt, but in response, the plaintiffs filed a motion indicating that the issue was a chieftaincy matter and so the contempt application be set aside.

The plaintiffs' application was again dismissed. They filed another motion at the Court of Appeal in Cape Coast and lost, and were in the Supreme Court seeking the contempt charges against them to be set aside.

GNA