There are strong indications that the contempt of court suit brought against some top members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will be settled out of court.
Three members of the Party – Kwame Owusu-Ansah, Sarpong Kumankuma and Anthony Gyamfi Ameyaw – had sued party national chairman Paul Afoko and general secretary Kwabena Agyepong, for contempt, after failing to re-run elections in the Juaben, Kumawu and Manhyia north constituencies in the Ashanti Region as directed by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed an application for certiorari brought by the NPP Kumawu chairman, Joseph Danso, against the settlement reached between the party and its members in the three constituencies.
The plaintiffs are now back in court following the party’s failure to adhere to an amicable agreement the two parties reached resulting in a consent judgment in August, 2014.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare as illegal, a statement by Mr Kwabena Agyapong, asking interested persons to pick up forms as part of the process towards nationwide parliamentary primaries.
The general secretary’s 23 march, 2015 announcement, they argue, disregards a yet-to-be-obeyed high court ruling in Juaben, Kumawu and Manhyia constituencies.
The plaintiff’s believe it is a blatant disregard of the court ruling for the party to announce parliamentary primaries.
However, at the hearing of the case in an Accra high court presided over by Justice Kwabena Asuman-Adu yesterday, lawyers for both parties made overtures for an out-of-court settlement.
Yoni Kulendi, lawyer for the NPP, said the dispute is among “family” members and should, therefore, be resolved out of court.
Garry Nimako Marfo, lawyer for the applicants, shared a similar view.
They both informed the high court they intended to settle the matter out of court.
Sitting continues on Friday, April 17, 2015.
Source: GhanaWeb
