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General News of Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Source: The Chronicle

Bench warrant for ex-NDC chairman

A leading member and former Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been declared wanted by a court in the Ashanti Region, after failing to appear before it on Friday.

The Nkawie Magistrate Court, presided over by Justice Addey, has issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Frank Mensah, who also doubles as the Board Chairman of the Regional Lands Commission, for gross disrespect to the institutional body.

The warrant, which was issued to the Abuakwa Police, is set to take effect on today, which consequently means that the former regional boss of the ruling party can be arrested anywhere he is spotted and presented before the court.

ASP Jeremiah Alele, Chief Crime Officer at the Abuakwa District Police Command, who confirmed the issuance of the warrant to The Chronicle in an interview, said Mr. Mensah personally pleaded that the hearing of the case, which was originally scheduled for last week Monday, be moved to Friday.

However, ASP Alele said on Friday, when the Supervising Judge called the case, the NDC boss failed to make an appearance and refused to give any notice about his inability to attend proceedings. Mr. Mensah is standing trial in a case in which he is being accused of illegally breaking into a stool house at Sepaase, and also demolishing buildings put up by some developers in the area.

The former NDC kingpin was said to have led a group of macho men to embark on a demolition of structures put up by some individuals, who had legally acquired lands in the community, contending that the plots belonged to him. This claim has, however, been shot down by the Head of the Sepaase Royal Family, custodians of the stool lands, Nana Adusei Darko.

The NDC former chairman, after destroying the buildings, also allegedly instructed the break-in of the stool house of the Royal Family, where gold and other ornaments were reported missing.

When The Chronicle got in touch with the former NDC boss a couple of weeks ago for his reaction to the alleged demolition, Mr. Mensah denied any knowledge of the action, but indicated rather interestingly, that the action may have been undertaken by the “Angel of Demolition” who may have answered his prayers.

Mr. Mensah attributed the exercise to divine intervention from God Almighty, because it was something he had prayed fervently for. “I didn’t order any demolition, but I am sure the Angel of Demolition did; those lands belong to me, and I had been wishing a long time ago to pull those illegal structures down without success, so if I woke up and they are demolished, I think I should thank God for that,” he happily stated during a telephone interview.

On the said break-in, for which he is standing trial, against Mr. Osei Mensah, he explained that he only ordered the eldest son of the Chief, together with a carpenter, to replace the padlocks to the room, and that it was not a break-in, but rather a move to make the room more secure.