High Court rules on applications by youth group, Anlo chiefs Nov 2

 The Sogakope High Court will on November 2, rule on two applications brought before it by the Anlo Progressive Youth for Account­ability and Development (APY­AD) and the Anlo Traditional Council (ATC).

The APYAD, the applicant, want the court to cause the Anlo Traditional Council to render accounts of proceeds of the Hogbetsotso Za from 2011 till date.

They are also demanding full disclosure and order for the accounts of all monies raised in 2020, and seeking an order for forensic audit of the Hogbet­sotso Za of 2022 by a reputable audit firm.

The group is demanding a refund of all monies deemed to have been appropriated during the said period.

However, the defendants, the traditional council, filed an affidavit in opposition to dismiss the entire writ of summons on grounds that the applicants lacked the capacity to initiate the instant action.

In the affidavit in opposition, the chiefs stated that the APYAD had not registered with the ATC and as such not known to anyone.

Counsel for the defendants, Gershon Gunu, stated that at this year’s General meeting of Chiefs of the ATC held on September 8, 2023, the local planning com­mittee presented accounts and the auditor presented his audit report, and that the record could be found on the Traditional Council notice board.

The defendants told the court that the Hogbe Local Planning Committee was only accountable to the ATC, but not to individ­uals and that those who needed information on the accounts of the Hogbe Za could go to the ATC notice board.

Mr Gunu said the plaintiffs have no case in law and in equity, since they lacked the capacity to bring the action.

Mr Gunu told the court the plaintiffs would not suffer any hardship or irreparable dam­age if the application was not granted, since the Local Planning Committee was not accountable to them.

He told the court that the sta­tus quo to preserve is rather for the ATC to continue to hold on to its cultural values and belief system and teach the applicants how Hogbe Za is organised, celebrated and who accounts are rendered and to, so that this frivolous suit would not happen in future.

 FROM LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU, SOGAKOPE