The Accra High Court yesterday directed the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Reverend Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, also known as Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, to properly serve the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, with contempt application.
The court presided over by Charles Genfi Dankwa said a contempt application ought to be personally served on the person.
Justice Dankwa gave the order after lead counsel for the MP, Mr Thadeus Sory, argued that they had not been properly served.
“From the records before this court, the respondent has not been served with any contempt procedure and the court has also not made any order for such process,” Justice Dankwa said.
He said: “what learned counsel for the respondent (Thaddeus Sory) procured either from social media or from learned Counsel for applicant cannot be taken as service of the contempt processes.
For this reason, Justice Dankwa said: “all the necessary legal steps should be taken to serve the respondent for the contempt issue.”
The case has been adjourned indefinitely. The applicant was, however, absent.
Rev. Gyamfi is asking the court to commit the legislator to prison for allegedly stepping on an interlocutory injunction served on him on the premises of Metro Television, two weeks ago.
The interlocutory injunction, which was in the nature of an ex-parte motion, was granted by the High Court to bar Mr Ablakwa from running commentary on the alleged multiple identify of the applicant.
Before proceedings began, at about 10am, Mr Ablakwa’s constituents, colleague NDC Members of Parliament, newly elected NDC executives and leading members of the party turned up in their numbers at the court premises in show of solidarity.
Mr Ablakwa, who wore a black suit over a pair of black shoes to match, wore a smile and kept a warm composure before and after proceedings.
He had already petitioned Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to investigate Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, over a conflict of interest, including possession of multiple identities and other alleged criminal dealings.
Mr Ablakwa alleges that there was a transfer of GH¢2.6million from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, owned by Rev. Kusi-Boateng, under a secondary identity – Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
The petition is seeking to invoke the mandate of CHRAJ, under Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution, to investigate the “odious conflict of interest” in regard to Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng’s position on the national cathedral board as he “literally paid his own company a staggering GH¢2.6million for no work done”.
Rev. Kusi-Boateng, who is also the founder of Power Chapel Worldwide, according to Mr Ablakwa, was the same person as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, who received GH¢2.6 million from the national cathedral board.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA