Accra: An Accra High Court is set to make a ruling on a contempt application involving 21 members of the Governing Council of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The application, which seeks to commit the council members to prison, arises from allegations that they breached an injunction order.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Seth Awuku Manteaw, the Director of the CSIR Institute for Scientific and Technological Information (INSTI), initiated legal proceedings on March 28, 2024, with an injunction application. This application was intended to prevent CSIR and its affiliates from making any appointments or engaging in advertising activities to replace him as Director before a court decision on a related writ.
The court has instructed both parties involved to submit their written arguments within a two-week timeframe, with the ruling scheduled for March 19, 2025. Dr. Manteaw, who is the applicant in this case, insists that the CSIR, as the principal respondent, was duly served with the writ of summons, statement of claim, and injunction application.
Dr. Manteaw further elaborated that he filed a supplementary affidavit on May 21, 2024, and moved the injunction on June 18, 2024, after several adjournments. Despite the pending court decision on the injunction, the respondents allegedly proceeded at the 189th Governing Council meeting on June 27, 2024, to request that Dr. Manteaw step aside and appointed Dr. Paul Danquah as the Acting Director.
The plaintiff argues that the respondents' actions were intentional and designed to hinder the administration of justice, showing disrespect to the court, and potentially rendering the case outcome ineffective. He contends that these actions undermine the court's dignity and authority, and therefore, should not remain unpunished.
In response, the CSIR filed an affidavit opposing the injunction application on May 6, 2024, through their legal representation. The respondents in this case include several prominent figures such as Professor Paul P. Bosu, Prof. Robert Kingsford-Adaboh, and others.
The contempt application was initially brought before a virtual court on August 14, 2024, overseen by Justice Richard Appietu. However, the hearing was adjourned to October 30, 2024, due to many respondents not having been served with the application. In the previous year, the High Court had ordered a substituted service, as the council members reportedly evaded service. Consequently, the notice was displayed on the Notice Boards of the High Court Complex in Accra and the CSIR for 21 days in December 2024.
