Regional News of Monday, 8 September 2014

Source: Daily Guide

Confusion rocks Volta Judicial Service

Tension seems to be brewing in the Judicial Service Association of Ghana (JUSAG) in the Volta Region as the legitimacy of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) is being challenged by some members of the association.

Ho high court has, therefore, placed an interlocutory injunction on the IMC, its accounts and also restrained it from embarking on a planned tour by some of its members.

This was after five members had filed an ex-parte motion to pray the court to place the injunction on the IMC barely a week ago.

The five last Thursday, 4 September, additionally filed a motion on notice for an order to declare the IMC as illegal and null and void as well as? restrain it from carrying itself as a lawful representative of the association, until the outcome of the matter.

The plaintiffs, who are also members of the Regional Advisory Council (RAC), include Agbobli Leonard (District Magistrate Court, Kadjebi); Robert Fiadzo (District Magistrate Court, Dzodze); Joseph Agroh (District Magistrate Court, Hohoe); Richard Tornyo and Francisca Sapeh (High Court, Denu).

The defendants (IMC) are Francis Blakwa, Derrick Anang, George Tailor, Atsu Kornyor and Adia Abdul Latif.

The rest are Daniel Doh, Felix Eddy Quansah, Francis Oscar Asmah and Lynda O. Banahene – all of JUSAG head office in Accra.

According to the plaintiffs’ claim, the defendants became IMC members upon the order of a court on 5 March, 2012. They were supposed to stay in office for only three months to organize a congress for the association to elect national executives.

They were also supposed to conduct a forensic audit of the accounts of the association; “all of which are yet to materialize, two-and-a-half years down the lane.”

The plaintiffs said the defendants were not supposed to be in office for more than 18 months, pointing out that their (IMC’s) continued stay in?office would lead to unauthorized spending of the association’s funds.

When the Volta Regional Chairman of JUSAG, Francis Dzinake, was contacted, he pledged his unflinching support to the suit and hoped that?the case would go in favour of the plaintiffs. He added that the IMC had overstayed their tenure and so their existence was illegal.

Mr. Leonard Agbobli, one of the plaintiffs who declined to comment on the matter because it was in court, expressed the hope that the outcome?of the motion would be favourable to all members of the association.

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicated that similar actions had been taken in the Western Region while the Ashanti Region was yet to follow suit.