‘Self-styled’ Hwakpo chief pleads guilty to unlawfully destroying a building under construction

Hwakpo chief arrested police in 2021

Lawyer for Hwakpo chief pleads with the court for an extended time

Ada District Magistrate Court refers case of causing damage to Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee

A man described as a “self-styled Chief of Hwakpo,” Isaac Buertey Pumplampu, and six other persons have pleaded guilty to unlawfully causing damage to the

Read full articleproperty of Clement Ackwerh, the complainant, after initially pleading not guilty to the charge.

This was after the matter was referred to an Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee by the Ada District Magistrate Court for civil settlement.

At the East Ada District Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centre on March 16, 2022, the complainant, Clement Ackwerh, was permitted to tender in his video and audio evidence that captured the illegal demolition of his structure by the seven suspects, led by Isaac Buertey Pumplampu, reports the Ghanaian Observer newspaper.

After the court admitted the electronic materials presented to it in the presence of their counsel, Kwami Boni, the suspects admitted they were the characters captured in both materials.

Finally admitting guilt, the suspects, through their lawyer, pleaded with the complainant, through the ADR, to temper justice with mercy by reducing the cost of damage by GHc8,900 but the ADR, which had been directed by the court to refer the determination of the matter back to it, did not grant the plea of the suspects.

Appearing before Her Worship Paulina Kwakyewa of the Ada Magistrate Court on May 5, 2022, Kwami Boni prayed the court to adjourn to July 26, 2022, arguing that by then, his clients would have been able to raise enough money to pay the cost of the damage to the property of Clement Ackwerh.

The report further added that albeit this, the lawyer did not mention the money his clients had agreed to pay the complainant.

Background:

In 2021, the ‘self-styled’ chief and his accomplices were nabbed by the former Sege District Police Commander, DSP George Aboagye, for allegedly destroying a building under construction, which was the property of the complainant, at Hwakpo.

The adjudication of the criminal case began at the Sege District Court, however, it was later referred to the Ada Magistrate Court, where after several adjournments, also referred the criminal case to the ADR on March 16, 2022.

The court advised that the determination of the matter at the ADR be referred to it on May 5, this year.

Though the complainant had prayed the court to permit him to tender in video evidence of the illegal demolition carried out by the suspects, the Magistrate Judge, in her directive, said the complainant could show that at the ADR to prove his case for its determination.

That was after the suspects had told the court that they were not guilty of the charge of unlawful damage when the fact of the matter and charge was read to them in court by the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Mamfo.