Court grants out-of-court settlement in NDC Parliamentary candidate’s case

The Winneba District Court presided over by Isaac Oheneba Kufuor, has granted an appeal for an out-of-court settlement in a case involving the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate and the Winneba District Police Commander.

It has, therefore, given Neenyi Bondzie, an opinion leader at Winneba, the mandate to handle the out-of-court settlement between the Winneba District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Samuel Asiedu Okanta, and James Kofi Annan, NDC’s Efutu parliamentary candidate.

Neenyi Bondzie is to brief the Court of the outcome of the settlement on Wednesday, August 5.

Annan, also a social entrepreneur, was dragged to court for alleged offensive conduct and interfering with the work of an official in connection with the ongoing registration exercise.

Narrating the facts of the case, Detective Police Inspector Frank Kpel, the Acting Winneba Crime Officer, said the complainant, Chief Supt Okanta, was chairing the Municipal Registration Review Committee Meeting at Latter Days Saints Church at Winneba Junction, on July 21 at 0930 hours, when the accused in the company of some people entered the premises.

He said Annan, the accused, confronted the Effutu Municipal Electoral Officer and asked why the Committee had commenced meeting without a representative of the NDC.

Chief Supt Okanta, who was sitting with the EC Official, asked Annan to address him (Okanta) as the Chairman of the Committee to have his grievances resolved.

Detective Inspector Kpel said the comments of the complainant did not go down well with Annan and he retorted “You are the reason why we are not enjoying peace in Winneba Town”.

The Police Commander, who viewed Annan’s statement as an intent to provoke the breach of the peace, reported his behaviour to the police.

He said they had to exercise greater restraint to avoid open confrontation, which disrupted the meeting and Annan was later arrested.