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Opinions of Saturday, 24 October 2015

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Is this not Judicial Corruption in Disguise – Oh Chief Justice & Asantehene?

Many turns and twists, crooked and painful of course, have taken place since the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute started in 2007 following the demise of Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II, the late Kumawuhene. Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II desirous to exploit the wealth of Kumawuman for his selfish gains, has since the death of Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II, been conniving with Kumawuhemaa Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah, his alleged girlfriend, to attain his objective. He has clearly ignorantly been arrogating to himself powers he normally has no recourse to, in his vain attempts to rewrite the history of Kumawu in particular, and Asanteman in general, all with that absurd motive of duping Kumawuman.

I have already published volumes about him in relation to the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute but as intransigent and insatiably greedy as he is in pursuit of his sole objective of swindling Kumawuman, he claims to not bother about anything. He claims to have developed tough skin, metaphorically conveying to the public that he is more than able to resist anything bad that anyone says about him. He is a "me ntie obiaa" king. He goes on to say that no court in Ghana has the authority to reverse any decision he takes, no matter how irresponsibly prejudicial such decisions may be.

Without much time on my hands today, I shall briefly inform the public of something that is going on about the Kumawu chieftaincy case that raises suspicion. Many a time has Kumawuhemaa confided in her close associates as well as making public statements that Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II would decide the Kumawu case in her favour. Truly as said, Asantehene has always been doing whatever he can to support the side of Kumawuhemaa even when everything clearly shows that deciding differently would have been the better and justified option.

Although Asantehene has absolutely NO RIGHT to intervene, let alone needlessly, in Kumawu chieftaincy issues, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has gone beyond his sphere of authority to poke his long nose into the Kumawu chieftaincy affairs, imposing a person of his choice on Kumawuman as their Omanhene (paramount chief), manipulating the courts and doing all sorts untoward things to justify his actions. To him I say, "You lie bad" a sort of joking Ghanaian parlance meaning "You can never attain your objective – you will be vehemently resisted"

Here we go, at paragraph 10 of my article published on Ghanaweb under their Feature Article of Thursday, 20 February 2014, titled, "Would Asantehene Please Explain His "Apae" Verdict?", one Kumawu Ahenenananomhene predicted what Asantehene would do. Asantehene did exactly what he predicted. Even amid unfolding criminal acts of corruption, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II still felt Kumawuhemaa must have her way hence the video posted on YouTube titled "Asantehene involves in corruption"

On the Friday preceding the Monday on which the alleged deposed Kumawu Akwamuhene, Nsumankwaahene, Aduanahene and Akyempemhene were incarcerated for contempt of court, one Mr Yaw Acheampong, the younger brother of Kumawu Akyempemhene said something. Amid overwhelming joy, Yaw Acheampong who is of the same father and mother (parentage) as Akyempemhene said, "Look, he is merrily drinking (pointing to Akyempemhene) with his so-called elders (referring to the alleged dethroned Kumawu sub-chiefs); they will be imprisoned on Monday. They will spend ten days to two weeks in jail"

When those who heard him asked how he came to know what would happen to them on Monday, he said he was told by Kumawuhemaa. This guy is a strong supporter of Kumawuhemaa and the alleged Kumawuhene Barimah Sarfo Tweneboah Koduah (Dr Yaw Sarfo). He has been promised the ascension to the Akyempemhene's stool therefore his stupid jubilation even though his own senior brother was about to be imprisoned.

Come Monday as predicted, the sub-chiefs were imprisoned. All the others went in for a week except Akwamuhene who was jailed for two weeks. The question now is how did Kumawuhemaa get to know that the sub-chiefs would be imprisoned, let alone, knowing exactly how long they would spend in prison as mentioned by Yaw Acheampong?

Again, from Kumawuhemaa's own camp, I learnt that Asantehene would tirelessly work to ensure that the Mampong judge presiding over the case involving the deposition of the named sub-chiefs would be removed long before the pronouncement of judgment. Although it was feasible as his bragging on a YouTube posting titled, "Is there any one man bigger..." indicates. However, I thought it was a far cry by a distant dreamer since in the immediate revelations of judicial corruption culminating in the public outbursts against corrupt judges; no sensible person will dare try to manipulate or influence any judge or their decision. Nonetheless, the Mampong judge who openly declared to tell nothing but the truth, and again said he was going to read the judgment already placed in the file by his predecessor, has been removed from the Mampong court.

He has not only been removed but also, allegedly charged with corruption as part of those uncovered by the Ghanaian ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Did Anas not publish the names of the corrupt judges he caught taking bribes to twist judgment? Was this judge under discussion one of them? His name has not yet turned up when I conducted my own non intensive investigations.

Has not the prediction by those in Kumawuhemaa's camp come to pass? How does Kumawuhemaa get to know this detailed information which should otherwise remain secret, in advance, to pass on to her confidants? How does Asantehene think to have his way in this Kumawu chieftaincy saga knowing very well that he has ABSOLUTELY NO TRADITIONAL AND, OR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to do what he is doing?

Who has the power to transfer judges between courts? Who has the authority to assign cases to judges? Will it not be a completely stupid judge, if not unprofessional one, who in the wake of Anas Aremeyaw Anas' revelations will dare twist the truth in the face of voluminous credible video and documentary evidence and facts as it is the case in the Kumawu stool dispute?

I shall be raising this obvious judicial corruption with the Chief Justice if the new judge presumed to have been brought there upon the influence of Asantehene does anything contrary to the law. The evidence, facts and all related laws are already in the public domain thanks to the publications on Ghanaweb, Modernghana, News Ghana (formerly Spyghana) and the YouTube.

It is not only by accepting bribe that judicial corruption can occur but also, when a judge decides a case in favour of the otherwise obvious guilty party as clearly proven by the evidence and facts submitted to court.

The liberation fight continues unabated!

Rockson Adofo