It has emerged that the failed Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Juaben in the Ashanti Region gifted an amount of ₵5,000 to some 18 elected Assemblymen for endorsement,
It was also revealed during Alexander Sarfo Kantanta’s first appearance before a High Court Wednesday (June 1) that government appointees who are members of the Assembly, also received an amount of ₵2,500 to influence the conduct of their performance as voters.
He has pleaded not guilty to 26 corruption charges in respect of a public election after he was captured in a viral video in November 2021, demanding a refund of the cash from one of the assemblymen.
In court
His lawyer, Kwame Adom Appiah, in his application for bail for his client indicated to the court that his client “denied every allegation of facts when he appeared before the Special Prosecutor.”
“My lord it is strange to us that the last but one paragraph of the charge sheet contains an admission of guilt on the part of the accused person because on all two occasions when my client appeared before the Special Prosecutor, he denied the allegations of corruption,” Appiah said in open court.
“We pray to this honourable court that the accused is admitted to bail. He has a fixed place of abode in the Juaben municipality and will avail himself to stand trial,” he added.
But the Deputy Special Prosecutor Cecilia Lamptey, however, demanded sureties.
By court
Justice Priscilla Odikro Ofori’s court in its ruling granted the accused person a ₵90,000 bail with one of two sureties to be justified with a landed property. It further ruled that the Office of the Special Prosecutor should serve all documents and evidence it intends to rely on for the trial on the accused person by 22 June 2022.
The court subsequently adjourned sitting to the 29 June 2022, for the parties to hold case management conference (CMC), to set the ground rules for the trial.
The accused person was racing against time to meet the bail conditions.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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