JO BLANKSON CASE: WRIT DISMISSED

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday, 31 January 2007
AN Accra High Court yesterday set aside a contempt application against Dr. Jo Blankson, the man who was enstooled last July as the new Ga Mantse, and three others.

The court presided over by Mrs. Justice Inkumsah Abban, said it was setting aside the application "for the sake of peace".

It also did not award cost against the initiators of the contempt proceedings, Dr. Ebenezer Nii Armah Tackie, a former lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi and 10 others on the gounds that "the two parties are from the same family."

Before the enstoolment of Jo Blankson as Nii Tackie Tawiah III, four different groups obtained an injunction from the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa to restrain Dr. Blankson and the others from nominating, electing or enstooling him as the Ga Mantse.

Following the enstoolment of Dr. Blankson as the Ga Mantse, Dr Tackie and others filed a petition at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to challenge his purported enstoolment.

Dr. Tackie, also sought the court’s ruling that the enstoolment of Dr Blankson was in contempt of the House of Chief’s ruling.

The three citied alongside Dr. Bankson are Nii Akropong; Head of the Nii Teiko Tsuru Royal family, Nii Kojo Ababio; James Town Mantse and Numo Tete, Nai Wulome.

They claimed that Dr Bankson, together with Nii Akropong, Nii Ababio and Numo Tete, had flouted an injunction granted by the house against his enstoolment.

In their statement of defence Dr. Blankson and the three others argued that they had not been served with any injunction.

Testifying in court, the Bailiff of House of Chiefs said he did not serve Dr Blankson and the three with the processes.

He said the papers meant for Dr Blankson were served on a woman called Madam Esther Mankatah of Accra.