Ashanti chief of Toronto Jailed in Ghana

A Toronto man jailed in Ghana says a tribal feud is to blame
The Ashanti chief of Toronto, a significant position within the diaspora of a once-powerful west African tribe, is used to being a guest of honour when he arrives dressed in his colourful traditional robes, but, for the last five nights, Nana Sarkodie Bandoh has been sleeping on the floor of a crowded jail in his native Ghana.
Mr. Bandoh, 49, was arrested Saturday while visiting Accra, the Ghanaian capital.
"I've been in custody since Saturday. I'm sleeping on the floor. There's no bed, I've got nothing here," he complained in a jailhouse interview with the National Post.
He said his charges of defrauding by false pretences and conspiracy are part of a conspiracy to prevent him from revealing evidence of corruption he has regarding a Ghanaian diplomat once serving in Canada. It is all part of a bitter feud within the Ashanti community, he said. "It was a set-up," he said.
It is not the first time he has faced acrimony and even criminal charges in the strife between rival factions in the large Ghanaian community of in and around Toronto, which numbers some 15,000, according to Statistics Canada, and 60,000 according to cultural associations.
The case highlights the deeply divisive and internecine disputes that sometimes arise within the closed confines of cultural and ethnic associations and communities.
Mr. Bandoh stands accused of defrauding a Ghanaian businesswoman out of $37,000. The woman, a resident of Ghana, came to Canada in December, 2006, to buy a Toyota Camry sedan and an Infiniti FX 35 luxury crossover and have them shipped back to her homeland, according to the allegations.
She allegedly paid Mr. Bandoh and another man $33,000 to help her get them back to Ghana. Transit was arranged, including legal documentation and a large shipping container. The woman was allegedly given the paperwork and car keys and returned to Ghana to await the arrival of her vehicles. A Canadian co-accused of Mr. Bandoh's in the case later asked the woman in Ghana for another $4,000 to clear them through the port, according to the allegations.
"But when the container arrived, apparently there was nothing inside it. There were no cars," said Mr. Bandoh. "It's an allegation that I don't know anything about," he said after a brief court appearance and before he had a meeting with his lawyer.
He said he had little to do with the car deal.
"A lady came to Toronto and bought two cars. Since I'm a community leader, she came to me for help and I directed her to a person who could help her," he said.
He later learned she was a relative of a man he has an ongoing dispute with in the community, he said. He feels the woman was trying to draw him into a compromising situation as part of the feud with her kin, he said. "I have a problem with the lady's family. I didn't know the lady was related to him," Mr. Bandoh said.
Mr. Bandoh previously defended himself in court in Canada after allegations from a member of the same family, who was a diplomat in Canada, that he threatened him; the charge was later withdrawn in court, he said. The dispute between the pair has become something of a legend within the community, apparently stemming from a vote for a new community chief, called the Asantefuohene, some years ago. One candidate lost by one or two votes and blamed Mr. Bandoh for his defeat, according to Baffour Asare, a deputy Ashanti chief in Toronto.
The position of Asantefuohene is an elected position with an important ceremonial and mediation role harkening to the ancient traditions of their tribal empire in precolonial West Africa.
"Everybody knows about the past between them," said Mr. Asare of the feud. When Mr. Bandoh was himself later elected Asantefuohene, the dispute continued anew, requiring intervention from higher Ashanti authorities.
In October, 2006, Mr. Bandoh was finally installed as the seventh Asantefuohene of Toronto at a colourful two-day celebration in a banquet hall north of Toronto filled with the vibrant and colourful robes of traditional Ashanti culture.
After his installation, but before the threatening charge was dispensed with in court, the legal standoff led to some awkward public moments as both community chief and appointed diplomat vied for space at Ghanaian functions. In 2006 there was a brouhaha in Toronto at a dinner celebrating the anniversary of Ghana's independence when a court order prevented Mr. Bandoh from being in the same room as the diplomat and both men were scheduled to appear with the High Commissioner of Ghana, who was visiting from Ottawa, according to reports in the Ghanaian media.
The diplomat was forced to leave the "charged atmosphere" of the event just as Mr. Bandoh and his entourage made a grand entrance.
"That is the last time they saw each other face-to-face," said Mr. Asare. The diplomat is no longer part of Ghana's diplomatic mission in Canada and could not be reached for comment. No one from either the Ghanaian embassy in Ottawa or consulate in Toronto could be reached for comment yesterday. The old charge against Mr. Bandoh and the dispute over his leadership spilled over on the Internet with bitter criticism of various parties posted on message boards. Postings link various feuds to fierce party politics in Ghana and diplomatic appointments made by changing Ghanaian governments. Despite the split, Mr. Asare said his chief is popular. "People love him. He's like Obama."
Mr. Bandoh said he would make his case for release to the Accra circuit judge today and was hoping for release to clear his name.
_ahumphreys@nationalpost.com_ (mailto:ahumphreys@nationalpost.com)