A Cape Coast High Court has fined the Chief of Kwaprow, Nana Kwesi Mensah III and the Assemblyman of Kwaprow, John Kilson Mensah, GH6,000 each for contempt of court. In default, the two contemnors will serve three months each in prison.
The High Court, presided over by Her Ladyship Malike Awo Woanyah Dey J., further ordered them to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for 18 months.
On October 11, 2022, the two contemnors forcefully entered the office of the second applicant, Solomon Faakye, the Head of Legal Affairs Office at the University of Cape Coast, and threatened him with death if he continued to conduct cases concerning encroachment of UCC land by them and their community.
Counsels for the applicants, Philip Young, Anastasia Asante and Emmanuel Yaw Hukpatsi, argued that the respondents’ action, which sought to disrupt the work of officers of the court, brought the reputation of the court into disrepute and was therefore contemptuous of the court.
Encroachment of UCC Lands
The UCC, has for some time now, under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko-Boampong initiated several legal actions to recover the university’s legally acquired lands from some chiefs and to stop them from selling portions of the lands to unsuspecting Ghanaians.
Land measuring over 400 acres was acquired for the University of Cape Coast by an Executive Instrument 13 of 1972. In January 2023, members of the governing council of UCC toured the university lands that had been encroached upon by some private developers and individuals.
The purpose of the visit was to enable the council members to see at firsthand the level of encroachment on the university lands.
The council resolved to address the massive land encroachment and had taken lawful steps to reclaim all encroached lands.
ALSO READ: