THE REPUBLIC V. GIFTY ADJOA AMPONSAH AND NANA OWUSU KORKOR EX PARTE: PETER KWAKU GYASI ADDAE AND OTHERS

DECISION

APPLICATION FOR COMMITTAL FOR CONTEMPT

Introduction/Overview

[1] Ordinarily, the law must be obeyed, no matter the circumstances. The learned (and one of the respected jurists in the Common Law tradition) Lord Denning MR in the case of BRADBURY v. ENFIELD LONDON BOROUGH COUNCIL [1967] 1 W.L.R. 1311 @ 1324 stated that the law must be obeyed:

“Even if chaos should result, still the law must be obeyed”.

[2] Any conduct which interferes with or undermines the authority of the Courts and administration of justice is contempt of court. Oswald in his classic, Contempt of Court 2nd Edition (1895) at page 6 opined that:

“.....Any conduct that tends to bring the authority and administration of the law into disrespect or disregards, or to interfere with or prejudice parties, litigants or their witnesses during litigation”.

[3] In NATIONAL UNION OF SEAMEN v. TUC [1982-83] GLR 943, it was held that:

“a refusal or neglect to do an act required by a court order within a specified time or the disobe…