Mamponghene In ?264M Fraud ?

...he collected $30,000 "bribe" in New York
The Asantehene and occupant of the Golden Stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has a difficult task before him.

He has before him, an eight-page petition against the occupant of the Silver Stool, the Mamponghene, Nana Osei Bonsu II. The petition, alleging gross injustice and fraud, has 25 pages of attachments including a note signed by the Mamponghene, acknowledging receipt of $30,000, the equivalent of over $30,000, the equivalent of over ?264 million, as consideration for nominating one Mrs. Rosina Mensah as Queenmother of Asante Mampong.

The two petitioners, Obaapanin Afua Amadie and Obaapanin Afua Buor are elders and principal members of the Betse family of the Mampong Traditional Area. The petition stated that the Mamponhene sought the advice of his confidant, Mr Alex Boakye Osei Bonsu, alias Mireku, as to who to nominate for consideration as Queenmother of Mampong. One of the royals, Mrs Rosina Mensah, (also known as Nana Abena Nyantakyi) working in New York, was contacted and after much prodding, she expressed interest.

It also revealed how the Mamponghene and his wife, on a visit to New York, were invited to a dinner at the residence of Mrs. Mensah and her husband, Dr Mensah, when he collected the $30,000. It added, “as a sign of good faith, Nana caused Nana Abena Nyantakyi to write an acknowledgement of the reciprocal agreement, the receipt of the money and the renewal of the promise to make her the next Mampong Queenmother duly signed by the two parties. That when Nana Mamponghene returned to Ghana, he informed a number of people that he had promised the female stool of Mampong to his royal, Mrs Mensah, Nana Abena Nyantekyi, which she accepted.” Mrs Mensah, on the express instructions of Nana Osei Bonsu, came to Ghana in February 1999 to be introduced to her Botase family members and some Mampong Elders who might not know her.

Before Mrs Mensah returned to New York, the Mamponghene asked her to send him her curriculum vitae. It was also mutually agreed by the Mamponghene and Mrs Mensah that she should come back to Ghana on September 11, 1999, after the nomination. Mrs Mensah was then faxed a list of items required to be purchased for her enstoolment in September 1999. The items were put in four suitcases and dispatched as unaccompanied luggage via Ghana Airways to Accra, ahead of her scheduled September departure to Accra.
She was not nominated and even as at December 1999, there had been no announcement. One Nana Yaa Adwubi was rather nominated and members of Mrs Mensah’s family instituted chieftaincy proceedings at the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs in Kumasi against the Mamponghene and others, challenging Nana Adwubi’s nomination. The proceedings sought injunction to restrain the respondents from going ahead with the enstoolment process, pending the final hearing and determination of the writ.
In spite of the service on Mamponghene and others, the petition said Nana Adwubi was enstooled in February 2000. Contempt proceedings were instituted against the Mamponghene and others at the Kumasi High Court. The High Court found them guilty of contempt and sentenced to a fine of ?20 million or in default, three months.
The petitioners said they had suspended their suit at the Regional House to pave way for Otumfuo’s “wise solution” on the Mamponghene’s succession dispute once and for all. The listed their 10 witnesses and three probable ones for the Mamponghene.