Case against embattled Sekondi-Takoradi MCE adjourned to March 22

The Takoradi Circuit Court ‘A’ has adjourned the case involving the suspended Mayor for Sekondi-Takoradi, Abdul Mumin Issah, to Tuesday, March 22.

The Court’s decision is to enable the prosecution to file and serve the lawyers of the accused with their disclosures.

Mr. Abdul Mumin Issah has been charged on three counts of Assault of a public officer, offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace and disturbing the peace in a public place contrary to Sections 205, 207 and 298, respectively, of the Criminal and Other Offences Act of 1960, Act 29.

At the court hearing presided over by His Worship Michael Ampadu on Thursday, the Prosecutor in the case said “our disclosures are ready but we could not file on time and serve the accused person’s lawyers.”

Supt. Emmanuel Basintele then pleaded with the Court to adjourn the case briefly to enable them file and serve the accused with the disclosures.

The lead counsel for the accused, Samuel Agbota, agreed but indicated that the longer the case takes, the longer it affects the human rights of his client.

“You don’t know who you are dealing with, you will come begging tomorrow” – Abdul-Mumin Issah’s [MCE, Sekondi-Takoradi]

Watch encounter between Sekondi-Takoradi MCE and @ghpoliceservice officer after he [MCE] was stopped for alleged dangerous driving #JoySMS pic.twitter.com/4I6Ulp9p3v

— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) February 4, 2022

His Honour, Micheal kwodjoe Ampadu, gave one week for the prosecutors to file their disclosure after listening to both sides.

Background

The embattled Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for Sekondi-Takoradi, Abdul Mummin Issah, was arrested on Thursday, February 3 charged on three counts of Assault of a public officer, offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace and disturbing the peace in a public place contrary to Sections 205, 207 and 298, respectively, of the Criminal and Other Offences Act of 1960, Act 29.

He is also on record to have described the officer as “ugly” and said he would have beaten him to death when the officer challenged him for driving on the shoulders of the road to move past a Police checkpoint.

He was subsequently put before the Takoradi Circuit Court ‘A’ where he pleaded not guilty to the three charges levelled against him.

At the end of proceedings, he was granted a GH¢100,000 self-recognisance bail with three sureties. The case was adjourned to March 17, 2022.

He has been suspended by the government through the Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation Ministry.

A press statement signed by the Minister, Dan Botwe stated that “without prejudice to the matter now before the court, Government takes a very dim view of the comments made by the Metropolitan Chief Executive during his exchanges with the Police.”

The Minister indicated that the comments made by the Chief Executive “run contrary to the Government’s belief and work to ensure that our Security Agencies and indeed, Public Agencies are resourced, empowered and accorded the respect to deliver on their mandates.”

In the interim, the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has been asked to assume responsibilities over the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.