Politics of Thursday, 29 March 2007

Source: GNA

NPP Chairman protest against Swedru Magistrate court ruling

Agona Swedru, March 29, GNA- The Gomoa West Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Joe Donkoh, has appealed to the Chief justice and the Judiciary Secretary to review the ruling of the Agona Swedru Magistrate Court in the case between Mr. Isaac Mensah and Mrs Konadu Ampratwum both executives of the party.

Speaking to newsmen at Agona Swedru last Monday, he said that Mrs Ampratwum, the first Vice Chairman of the Gomoa West dragged Mr Mensah, the Financial Secretary to court for failing to honour a 2.6 million-cedi loan he took from her in 2005 to pay school fees.

Mr Donkoh noted that the defendant should have been made to pay the amount plus an interest of 800,000 cedis to the Court by the plaintiff bringing the total amount to 3.6 million cedis.

According to the NPP Chairman, the Magistrate instead of calculating 30 percent interest over two years and one million cedis travel and transport claims totalling 3.2 million cedis.

He stated that the defendant ended up paying 6.850 million cedis, adding that, two weeks ago the same Magistrate ordered the defendant to pay 3.6 million cedis that he could not pay.

The Chairman expressed surprise about the sharp change of the decision by the Court and allegedly accused him of taken sides in the case.

The constituency Chairman explained that the behaviour of the First Vice Chairman against the Financial Secretary was upsetting because she apologized for dragging him to court at an executive meeting. He said two weeks ago, the defendant could not appear before the court and the plaintiff applied for a bench warrant to arrest him at Tema.