Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 23 July 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
A former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for the Madina Constituency, Bukari Amadu Sorogho, has reportedly been sentenced to pay a fine of GH¢30,000 for putting up a structure at Madina Estate despite a court order for him to stop.
According to a report by the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, the Accra High Court found the former legislator guilty of contempt for defying an interlocutory injunction order it granted, barring him from building on the said land which is situated at Madina Estate, opposite the Magistrate Court.
The report indicated that Bukari Sorogho would be forced to serve a one-week prison term if he fails to pay the fine.
The presiding judge, His Lordship Justice Richard Apietu, sentenced the former MP to a GH¢30,000 fine after his lawyer, Jah Josiah, pleaded with the court that his client should be given a minimal sentence because he [Amadu Sorogho] has serious health issues.
The lawyer told the court that Sorogho should be given a strong warning and not a custodial sentence until the final determination of the case in the law court.
However, the lawyer for the plaintiff, Charles Habiah, contended that Bukari Sorogho should be given a custodial sentence because he deliberately disobeyed the court's order because he is a former MP.
About the case:
Musa Suleiman Rami and Umar Suleman, the plaintiffs, sued the former MP at the Accra High Court, accusing him of illegally building on land situated at Madina Estate, opposite the Magistrate Court.
They asked the court to stop Amadu Sorogho from constructing the building because he was encroaching on a common space and also violating State Housing rules and regulations enshrined in the offer of sale letter given to occupants of the land.
The court then referred the case, with suit number GJ/0340/22, to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and asked all parties involved to stop work on the said land until the final determination of the matter.
BAI/AE
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