POWER OUTAGE AFFECTS COURTS IN ACCRA

A power outage at the Fast Track High Court today led to the adjournment of the trial of Thomas Osei, the man who rammed his car into the President's car last year.
Today’s power failure was one of the many occurrences at the court and did not affect only that case but many other cases which were slated for hearing in the fast track division of the High Court.
There seem to be no solution to the problem because the headquarters of the Judicial Service, which houses the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, did not have a standby generator.
The issue of power seems to be a major problem for the courts in Accra, including the Supreme Court, and on one occasion a generator had to be procured to ensure the hearing of a high-profile case.
Investigations conducted by the Daily Graphic indicated that the majority of the courts at the Cocoa Affairs courts complex had been without electricity since October last year.
As a result, justice delivery is affected as the judges are in most cases compelled to adjourn some cases because of the excessive heat coupled with appalling conditions in the courtrooms.
The electricity issue is just one of the many problems of the judiciary.
In the case of Thomas Osei, he was brought to court but the case had to be adjourned to February 22, 2008.
Osei’s counsel, Mr Kwame Boafo Akuffo, and the acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Gertrude Aikins, were also in court.
Osei was first arraigned before the Motor Court on November 16, 2007.
He was discharged by the court on Thursday, December 20, 2007 after the prosecution had filed a nolle prosequi (unwilling to prosecute) but he was re-arrested when he stepped out of the court and put before the Fast Track High Court on six counts.
Osei now faces seven counts of use of narcotic drugs, dangerous driving, negligently causing harm, driving under the influence of alcohol, failing to give way to a Presidential convoy and failing to effect change of ownership of vehicle, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Around 11.30 a.m. on November 14, 2007, Osei, who was driving a Mercedes Benz SE 500 saloon car in the inner lane along the Liberation Link from the direction of Aviance towards the 37 Military Hospital, drove into the rear side of the President’s vehicle, in spite of the fact that other motorists had been stopped to allow the President’s convoy to pass.
The driver of the President’s car and the driver of a VW saloon car were treated and discharged, while Osei was admitted for treatment.
The President escaped unhurt.