An Accra High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of five elders of the Gbese Division of the Ga Traditional Council for absenting themselves from court in a contempt case brought against them. They are Asafoatse Christopher Nettey II, Atta Okoe Aryee, Naa Ayikaile Naa Adoben, John Aryeetey Aryee and Percy Okoe Addy. The court presided over by Justice E.F. Dzakpasu, convicted the five together with seven others for willfully refusing to comply with the judgement and orders of the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs in February 2003 that they should hand over the Gbese stool and its paraphenalia to Nii Tetteh Ahinakwa II, head of the Naa Akua Onidin/Akwete Krobo We, for purposes of installing their candidate. Justice Dzakpasu however granted bail to six other convicted persons who had already spent a month in prison custody. They are Nii Adamah Thompson, Humphrey Nii Teiko Aryee, Nii Tetteh Ankamah, Nii Anum Tettey and Otsiame Tetteh Alimo. In the view of the committee the Nii Tetteh Ahinakwa is the legitimate authority to install a Gbese Mantse and which he carried out in May this year with the installation of Thomas Okine, a former Chief Executive of Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club as Nii Ayibonte II. The court also referred the conduct of the counsel for the convicted person, Albert Adaare to the General Legal Council for appropriate action to be taken because his legal advice had “willfully frustrated and thwarted the orders of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.” The court upheld Nii Tetteh Ahinakwa’s view that the purported handling over of the Gbese Stool paraphernalia by the convicted, frowned against the judgement and orders of the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs. The court said the case which had gone before the High Court, Appeal Court and Supreme Court, were unanimous in their view that Nii Tetteh Ahinakwa was the head of the Naa Akua Onidin/Akwete Krobo We which is also the third ruling gate of the Gbese Division. Justice Dzakpasu ruled that “In view of the aggravating circumstances of the offence proved, each of the convicted respondents shall render in addition to the custodial sentence or unqualified written apology to the committee as acceptable to this court.” Source: The Ghanaian Times