Judge sacks journalists from covering case involving CPP running mate in his Court

Justice George K. Koomson, a presiding Judge at the Commercial Court B in Accra on Thursday sacked journalists from his court to prevent them from covering a case involving the 2012 vice presidential candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Nana Akosua Sarpong Kumakuma.
The complainant in the case is Liberty Capital and the respondent is Human Potential College, represented by Nana Akosua Sarpong Kumakuma, the running mate of CPP Presidential Candidate in the 2012 elections, Dr. Abu Sakara Foster.
The case before the court indicates that Akosua Sarpong Kumakuma allegedly presented fake land documents to Liberty Capital as collateral for financial assistance and now the latter has sued for refund and interest.
The presiding judge argued that the journalists were interested in the case because it involves a high profile person (Akosua Sarpong Kumakuma) and they (the journalists), want to tarnish her image.
He therefore walked the journalists out of his court, accusing them of reporting previous proceedings without his permission.
Meanwhile, the court proceeded to hear the case in the absence of the respondent.
The facts of the case, as of Tuesday November 12, 2013, were that the respondent sought financial assistance to the tune of GHC370,000 from the complainant.
The complainant, Liberty Capital, gave the respondent an amount of GHC170,000 and demanded for a collateral before the balance of GHC200,000 would be paid to her.
The respondent then provided documents covering a partly-paid-for parcel of land, which bore the name of Anchor of Peace, claiming that the land was eventually going to be transferred to her company, Human Potential College after she had made full payment.
Liberty Capital then conducted a search at the Lands Commission and found that the said land belonged to neither Anchor of Peace nor Human Potential College, but rather to Lakeside Estates.
It therefore sued Human Potential College for refund of the initial amount of GHC170,000 plus a five per cent interest.
The case was adjourned to Thursday, November 14, 2013, but that was when Justice Koomson sacked the journalists from the open court and warned against further coverage of the matter.
Meanwhile, Legal Practitioners Morris Ampau and Kissi Agyabeng say the media have the right to cover open court proceedings once what they report is true, fair, objective and accurate.
They both argued that the judge erred in sacking the journalists because, the only way to prevent media coverage was for the judge to have heard the case in camera instead of in an open court.

Source: Ghana |[Adom News]