Palaver: Akufo-Addo's inhumanity to man

The man who wants to lead Ghanaians to the promised land... AKUFO-ADDO’S INHUMANITY TO MAN
--His negligence seriously injured Woledzi
--Akufo Addo was driving an uninsured car
--Judge finds Akufo Addo’s story not credible
--Woledzi sufdfered 100% incapacity
--Record of proceedings got mysteriously missing
--Case was tried 13 years after the accident
--Akufo Addo’s Lawyer goes mental
--Read it all in Woledzi V. Akufo Addo (1882-83) IGLR421.

On 14 January 1967, Nana Akufo-Addo, currently NPP Presidential candidate, negligently drove an uninsured car into the car of one Mr. Woledzi, a 41-year old Mails Supervisor of the then P&T Corporation.

Mr. Woledzi was in a coma for 3 weeks. After that, he was in hospital for 6 months. In September 1967, Mr. Woledzi sued Nana Akufo-Addo. The case was heard by Justice Anterkyi.

After taking 2 witnesses, Justice Anterkyi decided not to continue with the case. The case was placed before another judge. After several adjournments, the case was finally heard by Justice Charles Crabbe who in 1969 dismissed Mr. Woledzi's claim.

Mr. Woledzi appealed, but mysteriously, the entire record book containing the record of proceedings of the case was missing. The Court of Appeal therefore ruled that the case should be re-tried.

13 years after the accident, the case came for re-trial before Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow of blessed memory (she was one of 3 judges murdered in 1982 in the early days of the Revolution).

This is how Mrs. Justice Koranteng-Addow described the state of Mr. Woledzi at the time of the trial:

“The plaintiff is a different person from what he was before the accident. His appearance is terrible; his mouth is twisted to one side and it droops. This was caused by the loss of sensitivity on the right side of the face. His eyes are so pronounced with the squint and he walks gingerly without co-ordinating his limbs. He moves as if he is going to trip at any moment. He still continues to take treatment for the after effect

He moves as if he is going to trip at any moment. He still continues to take treatment for the after effects of his injury. He was in a coma for three weeks after the accident, but he remained in hospital for six months for his treatment.

The broken arm was set in P.O.P. ——His pain and suffering must be considerable. He had a fracture which would not unite with P.O.P so a plate was inserted in the left-upper arm; and this would cause pain. He still carries the plate in his arm. He still complains of pain in the right blind eye. —The plaintiff is deformed; the squint and the twisted mouth have deformed him. He is a man who has lost his self-confidence due to his present appearance. In his present condition there is little he can enjoy; a man who is so affected and afflicted with pain can hardly be said to enjoy full amenities of life. He has also lost his pension rights”.

What did Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow decide, and what did she award against Nana Akufo-Addo? One thing the Learned Judge decided though was that the car belonged to Nana Akufo-Addo’s mother and she was the one who should have insured it.

The judgement is reported in the Ghana Law Reports as Woledzi v. Akufo-Addo [1982-83] GLR 421, which we are serialising, beginning from this issue. Nana Akufo-Addo was defended in this action by James Amoako-Glover, a lawyer in Nana Akufo-Addo’s Law Chambers at the time and a one-time SRC President of the University of Ghana, Legon, who was always associated with narcotic drugs and who has since become a mental case. He still walks the streets of Accra.