The Sekondi High Court Two has pronounced a GHC12,500 fine on five Kingsmen belonging to the Mpintsin Royal family for interfering in the chieftancy affairs of the Effia Brempong Yaw Ntwea Royal Family in the Effia-Kwesiminstim Municipal Assembly of the Western Region.
The five, who are not members of the Brempong Yaw Ntwea Royal Family of Effia would in default serve a three-month jail term as announced by Her Ladyship Hannah Taylor who presided over the case of contempt involving Ebusua Kyeame Ekow Tawiah, Maame Yaaba, Joseph Nyantakyi, John Arhin and Mena Nsia.
They will in default of the payment of the fine serve a three months jail term.
The five, according to the Court left their jurisdiction and rather wished to install one John Arhin, a tutor at the Ahantaman Secondary School as Chief over the Brempong Yaw Ntwea Royal Family where their kinship had no bearing contradicting an earlier judgement by the Western Regional House of Chiefs ruling in 1974.
The Judicial Committee of the Western Regional House of Chiefs ruling held at Sekondi on Thursday, 28th April in 1974 declared the two families as separate entities who cannot interfere in the affairs of each Royal family.
The Judicial Committee of the Western Regional House of Chiefs who sat on the matter in 1974 included Awulae Kwesi Amakyi III as chairman, Nana Hima Dekyi XIII and Nana Kofi Adianka IV as members with A. P. Pepra ESQ as counsel.
In 1974 a judgement from the Western Regional House of Chiefs specified that the five persons now convicted with contempt were not close to the Effia Royal Family and therefore cannot install a chief.
The Judicial Committee, also ruled that the two separate Stools at Effia and Mpintsin could not succeed each other in any way thence, any attempt by a member of Mpintsin branch to occupy the stool is improper, and vice versa.
Again the Western Regional House of Chiefs Judicial Committee specify that the petitioner, Opanyin Kweku Walabai, whose descendents are the five, are from the Mpintsin branch and definitely not part of the Brempong Yaw Ntwaa Family resident at Effia.
Moreover, Nana Brempong Yaw III and Nana Brempong Yaw IV are properly of the Effia branch of the Brempong Yaw Ntwaa Family and have therefore been properly enstooled on the Effia Stool.
On the contrary, the five defied the House of chiefs ruling and somewhere in October 2017 tried installing one John Arhin as a chief whiles Nana Brempong Yaw IV was still the occupant of the stool at Effia and of the Brempong Yaw Ntwaa Family.
The five, from the Mpintin Royal Family, were therefore convicted for contempt despite plea by their counsel for the court to have mercy on them since they had regretted their action.
However, Her Ladyship Hannah Taylor ignored the counsel’s plea and finally pronounced a custodial sentence to the tune of GHC2,500.00 on a person or in default serve three months in prison.
Source:Â Daniel Kaku, Contributor