The Koforidua High Court has sentenced the Paramount Chief of the Yilo Krobo Traditional Area, Nene Oklepeme Nuer Anorbah Sasraku, to four days in prison for contempt of court.
However, his transfer to prison was marred by controversy and drama after he failed to report to custody on time and was later found at a private hospital.
Presiding judge, Her Ladyship Jennifer Myers Anne, sentenced the Chief to four days in prison and placed him under a six-month bond of good behaviour after he failed to appear before the court to answer contempt charges. A warrant had earlier been issued for his arrest.
Following the ruling, the court handed the convict over to Corporal Albert Sitso Annan to escort him to the Koforidua Prisons. But what seemed like a straightforward process turned murky.
Prison officials later disclosed that the chief never arrived on time, only showing up around 6:45 p.m., nearly 10 hours after the sentencing.
According to authorities, the chief appeared unwell and had hospital cannulas in his arms, suggesting he was undergoing treatment.
He was denied admission and instructed to undergo a medical “fit-to-serve” test at a government hospital before returning the following day. But that never happened.
As concerns mounted over his whereabouts, the lawyer for the complainants, Denis Yao Terkpertey, pressed the Eastern Regional Police Command for answers. This pressure eventually led to the discovery of the chief at the CDC Hospital in Betom, a suburb of Koforidua.
The Public Relations Officer for the Koforidua Prisons, Ezekiel Korletey, confirmed that the facility had no part in the delay or any arrangements made outside the court’s directive.
“The convict is not in our custody, and we are not involved in whatever is going on,” he told journalists.
Meanwhile, lawyer Denis Terkpertey has promised to pursue the matter further, insisting that the law must take its full course regardless of social status or traditional authority.
