Just In: Court dismisses Kusi Boateng’s contempt suit against Ablakwa
The Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, filed contempt charges against North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The accusations were dismissed by the High Court in Accra.
The MP was shown in a video kicking court papers with his foot while refusing to be served with papers related to a defamation claim launched against him. The MP’s attorneys then filed the contempt charges.
The NDC lawmaker is being sued by Rev. Kusi Boateng for writing articles implying that he is involved in a conflict of interest and using a double identity because he allegedly uses the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
The bailiff was not a certified member of the judicial service, thus the court on Tuesday dismissed the contempt charges.
The Judge claims that the Chief Justice ordered in 2021 that only members of the Judicial Service should serve writs. The claimed bailiff, however, is not a member of the Judicial Service’s staff, so the court pointed out that the process cannot be considered to be genuine.
As stated by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on February 3, 2023, when the incident occurred, the complaint was also dismissed on the grounds that the alleged bailiff did not follow procedures intended to be followed in serving a member of parliament who is on parliamentary business or on his way to parliament.
The applicant’s claim of contempt was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge added in his conclusion, because the facts that were provided to the court were inconsistent.
The case was rejected by Justice Charles Gyamfi Dabkwah, and Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng was assessed a cost of GHC10,000.
