Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has told an Accra High Court that he was recently served court papers by a fake bailiff.
The papers in question were a restraining order and a defamation suit by Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, alias Victor Kusi Boateng, secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.
Ablakwa’s allegations were contained in an 85-page document opposing a contempt suit Adu Gyamfi brought against the lawmaker for rejecting service of the two suits and disrespecting the court by kicking the documents.
In Ablakwa’s filings for the case, his lawyers, Sory @ Law, attached an exhibit that contained an Application for Search Report seeking information on the bailiff who served Ablakwa the papers earlier this month.
The court registry confirmed that Adu Gyamfi had indeed instituted the two applications served on Ablakwa on 1st and 3rd of February.
It gave the name of the bailiff who served the application on Ablakwa as Ellis Armah but answered “NO” to a question about whether Ellis was a bailiff of the Judicial Service.
There was no further explanation as to why a bailiff outside of the Judicial Service had been given papers to serve on the respondent.
Ablakwa’s lawyers also referred to a recent order by the Chief Justice asking that only certified bailiffs be dispatched to work on service of applications.
The contempt hearing starts today, February 21, with Ablakwa expressing readiness to go to jail if need be. He has argued in his response that he did not mean to disrespect the court and that the plaintiff was being vexatious with his application.
See the court’s response to Ablakwa’s search request
