<<Print>>

An attempt to bribe a high court judge at Sekondi by a defendant in a land litigation case pending at the court backfired, as the judge revealed the scandal in open court and subsequently recused herself from hearing the case. Mrs. Georgina Mensah-Datsa openly confessed on the 5th of July 2013 in open court that a member of the feuding faction in a land litigation case between Nana Anochie IV, Abusua Kpanyinli Exoah Azane and Quantum Company Ltd., tried to bribe her into ruling the case in their favour. ��Mrs. Eugema Arllo of the Nvavilley family attempted to give me money to influence me in this case�,� she said to the amazement of the audience in the courtroom. According to the judge, she refused the offer because that would influence her judgement. �The principle is that justice must not only be done, but be manifestly seen to be done. The attempt by the said woman has made it difficult for justice to be manifestly seen to be done in this case,� the judge affirmed. In view of this, Mrs. Mensah-Datsa stated that she has personally requested that the case be taken out of her court and referred to the Attorney-General�s department to determine the next line of action to be taken. �In the circumstance I have no other option than to decline jurisdiction in the case. This is to send a clear message to all that justice is not for sale. I refer the case to the Registrar to report to the Chief Justice to transfer the case to another Judge,� she ordered. Suit No. E1-116/13- Nana Anochie IV, and Abusua Kpanyinli Exoah Azane versus Quantum Company Ltd., have been filed at the Sekondi High Court in the Western Region with the litigants praying the court to determine the original owners of a parcel of land sold to the company for development. The traditional chiefs of Anochie, Nana Anochie IV, and Abusua Kpanyili Erzoah Azane of the royal Ezohile family, are all claiming ownership of the said land. Nana Anochie IV stated among other things that a section of the people of Anochie engaged the royal Ezohile family and himself in a legal battle over the ownership of the Anochie stool lands and his title as the chief of the area. Nana added that, that case was judged in his favour by circuit court �B� at Tarkoradi which was presided over by his Charles Bamfo Nimako, a circuit court judge, on January 10th, 2013. Thus when the Nvavile family of Anochie sold a portion of the Anochie stool lands to the Quantum Company Ltd., from Cantonments in Accra, the Abusua Kpanyinli and himself filed an injunction and a writ of summons at the High Court at Sekondi to restrain them from encroaching upon the land in question. The chief also cautioned other companies including the Atuabo Waste Power Project Marinus Energy Ltd., to desist from doing so as he is prepared to take legal action to reclaim his lands.