Accra: Nana Osei Bonsu, a principal member of the Huahi Achama Tutuwaa Royal Family of Boadi, has petitioned the Acting Chief Justice over alleged judicial misconduct, administrative dereliction, and external interference in a protracted land dispute pending before the Court of Appeal in Kumasi. The petitioner, currently residing in the United States under humanitarian parole due to alleged threats and persecution in Ghana, claims his family's allodial title to over 1,298 acres of ancestral land in Benimasi-Boadi, Ashanti Region, is under threat.
According to Ghana News Agency, the initial High Court proceedings, which ultimately led to the current appeal, specifically concerned a 114-acre portion of these lands. This was actively pursued to protect it from encroachment and unauthorized alienation. The petitioner stated that the specific appeal, now part of a consolidated appellate matter, reflects systemic failures within the judicial system.
The petition, filed under Article 125(4) of the 1992 Constitution, detailed a series of alarming incidents, including the alleged unlawful reversal of judgments by courts of coordinate jurisdiction, disappearance of court records, misrepresentation of filing dates, and intimidation of legal representatives. Nana Osei Bonsu asserted that despite full procedural compliance over four years, this crucial appeal has not been assigned a hearing date.
He mentioned some alleged pronouncements by the Kumasi Traditional Council, which created difficulties in securing legal representation in Kumasi. Nana Osei Bonsu is seeking the administrative transfer of his appeals from Kumasi to the Court of Appeal in Accra to ensure impartial adjudication. He is requesting an independent inquiry into the conduct of judicial officers and registry personnel, immediate directives for his case to be set down for hearing, and the assignment of a neutral and independent panel of Justices in Accra to preside over the matter.
The petitioner emphasized his 'enduring faith in the Judiciary of Ghana' but stressed the urgent need for intervention to rectify what he describes as a 'miscarriage of justice' and to prevent the 'normalization of judicial manipulation, delay, and coercion' in land cases involving powerful interests.
