Justice Honyenuga warns staff: You can’t hold the court to ransom

Justice Clemence Honyenuga, yesterday, summoned the Registrar of the High Court (Criminal Division), Filing Clerk and Chief Bailiff for their failure to serve processes on parties in the trial of Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni and others.

According to him, the operation of the court was like a chain, where if one side gets broken, the other parts get affected as well, hence the conducts of these individuals had impacted negatively on the smooth running of the court.

He complained that often when cases delay at the court, the judges are the ones often blamed without putting into consideration the conducts of others like clerks and bailiffs.

Justice Honyenuga was alarmed at the conduct of this individual, because the Principal State Attorney, Mrs Stella Ohene Appiah, told the court that a process that was filed at the Registry on Thursday, October 22, 2020, had still to be served on Nutifafa Nutsukpui, Counsel for Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited (Second and Third Accused (A2 &A3).

Meanwhile, Samuel Cudjoe, Counsel for Dr Opuni (first accused), informed the court that his office received a copy of filed document on Tuesday, at the time he was in the court.

Mrs Ohene Appiah, in that respect, pleaded with the court to adjourn sitting to enable service to be effected on counsel for second and third accused.

The new document file was in relation to the new prosecution witness (PW6) who would be called to testify in the cocoa trial.

She said efforts were, therefore, made to have them served, adding: “This morning, just before my lord came, counsel for A1 informed me that when they returned to office they found out that they had been served their copy…”

The Principal State Attorney added: “We were informed that one set of the documents could not be found by the Registry. We have, therefore, made an additional copy to be given to counsel in case the Registry has still not served him.

“And, therefore, we pray for a short date to allow counsel for A1, A2 and A3 to acquaint themselves with the documents served.”

Mr Cudjoe confirmed the document being delivered to their office in their absence.

However, Counsel for Seidu Agongo and others later informed the court, saying: “The prosecution has just given as a photocopy of the document they have filed. My lord, we will accept it as service of the document on us. And agree to come back…”

The judge, on that note, explained that the summons of the three persons was to admonish them to do the right thing.

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