The Ashanti regional chapter of the Judicial Services is seeking the direction of the Chief Justice regarding the fate of the embattled Municipal Chief Executive Nominee for Juaben, Alexander Kwabena Sarfo-Kantanka.
It follows the transfer of Her Ladyship, Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori, a judge who was due to deliver judgment on November 28, 2024, on the criminal trial of Alexander Kwabena Safo-Kantanka charged with 26 counts of election-related corruption, before the High Court in Kumasi by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Joynews has cited a copy of Justice Priscilla Dikro’s transfer letter, dated November 18, 2024, signed by Chief Justice Torkono and copied to the Ashanti Regional Judicial Secretary, Supervising High Court judge, among others.
According to the letter, her transfer to the Labour Court 2, Accra, takes immediate effect.
This explains why Justice Dikro, who complied with the directives of the Chief Justice, was nowhere near her usual Kumasi High Court 4.
Her reliever, Justice Abdul Razak Musah, was sitting for the first time at the Kumasi High Court 4 on Thursday, November 28, 2024, when the embattled MCE nominee’s case was called for hearing.
In 2022, Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka was charged by the Special Prosecutor to answer the charges of corruption contrary to Section 256(1) and (2) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) as amended by Section 9 of the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The OSP accused him of influencing the conduct of about 26 assembly members who are members of the Juaben Municipal Assembly by gifting them an amount of GHȼ5,000 during an election to confirm his nomination by President Akufo-Addo in September 2022.
The meeting to confirm Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka, Juaben Constituency New Patriotic Party Chairman as MCE, was marked with drama as he publicly demanded the refund of monies paid to some Assembly Members to influence them to get him confirmed.
The president’s nominee was said to have assaulted one of the Assembly members, Patrick Yeboah, outside the conference room where the meeting took place.
He polled 5 out of the expected 26 in the first attempt.
His efforts were, however, not rewarded, as he failed in yet another attempt to get him confirmed as the first-ever MCE for that newly created municipality, carved out of the Ejisu municipality.
Though his votes appreciated in the second round with 10 votes, he failed to secure the mandate of assembly members.
Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka subsequently appeared before the court on June 1, 2022. The SP has, as of July 2023, completed his case against Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka after the state called six witnesses.
Frustrated over the failure to seek approval of assembly members, Mr. Sarfo Kantanka allegedly confronted some assembly members and demanded a refund of monies paid to them.
Video recordings of those encounters went viral on social media.
Defense Counsel Kwame Adom-Appiah then filed a no-case application, which was subsequently dismissed by the court presided over by Justice Priscilla Odikro Ofori.
This was after Mr. Safo-Kantanka had been granted bail with the sum of GH90,000 with two sureties, with all sureties being bearers of Ghana Cards, with one to be justified with landed property.
As it stands now, Chief Justice Torkono has the prerogative to give a warrant to the outgone Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori to sit on the case.
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