Jomoro MP case: Court set June 6, 7 for trial to commence

The High Court in Sekondi has set June 6 and 7, 2022 for the commencement of the full trial of a case involving the Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey.

The court arrived at this date after a successful case management Conference on April 11. 2022.

The Member of Parliament is a respondent in a substantive suit challenging her eligibility to contest as a Member of Parliament for the Constituency in the 2020 Parliamentary Election.

The applicant, Joshua Emuah Kofie from Nuba- Mpataba in the Jomoro Constituency argues that the MP was not qualified to contest the election because she was holding American and Ivorian citizenship.

The MP has meanwhile denied and indicated to the court that she had renounced the said citizenship and thus was ordered by the Sekondi High Court to produce documentary proof of her renunciation for inspection within 10 days.

The MP subsequently filed a motion for stay of execution pending appeal at the Court of Appeal but was unanimously dismissed on July 26, 2021.

Joshua Emuah Kofie from Nuba- Mpataba in the Jomoro Constituency filed a contempt charge against the MP for her allegedly failing to appear before the Registrar of the Court to provide documentary proof of the renunciation of her Ivorian citizenship as ordered previously referring to the motion for stay of execution pending appeal, which was unanimously dismissed on July 26, 2021.

He further noted that the Registrar of the High court served notices on the parties to appear before him on September 23, 2021, with the view to obtaining compliance with the substantive High court order but the MP(Respondent) did not explain to the court her inability or unwillingness to comply with the order which he believed amounted to her lack of regard for the Court’s authority.

However, the MP later produced the documents on her renunciation as requested by the court.

Her counsel, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe then prayed the court to strike out the contempt charges against his client which the applicant’s lawyer disagreed with, and asked the court to award a cost.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Sedinam Agbemava however struck out the contempt charges and awarded a cost of GHC 5, 000 against the MP.