Criminal Libel Case Adjourned Again

Accra, Aug 18, - A Circuit Court in Accra, today adjourned sine die further proceedings in a case in which Eben Quarcoo, editor of the Free Press and its publishers, Tommy Thompson Books Ltd., are charged with criminal libel against the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. The adjournment followed the granting of a motion filed by counsel for the accused, Nana Akufo Addo for stay of proceedings until the determination of an appeal the defence had filed against the court's ruling that it has jurisdiction to hear the case without being biased. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal. The prosecutor, Mr Thomas Ahlijah in response to the motion, said he was not rpt not surprised by the " system adopted by the defence to object to any ruling of the court." On August eleven, this year, the court presided over by Col. V. C. Doegah ruled that it has right to try the case without being biased against the accused. The ruling of the court was in response to an objection defence counsel raised that the judge is likely to be biased if he tried the case. Counsel's reason was that when the accused were first arraigned before it, the court refused them bail and that it was when the accused appealed to a High Court that they were granted bail. Counsel's contention was that because of the refusal, the court is not rpt not likely to administer justice in the case.