Maame Dokonu vindicated

Actress and talk show hostess, Grace Omaboe alias Maame Dokono, successfully extricated herself from the grips of the law for the second time when an Accra High Court yesterday dismissed an application for contempt against her.

The suit was filed by Abena Achia alias Julie Juu of Cantata fame against Ms. Omaboe and three others over the deceased actor and producer of Cantata fame, Nana Bosomprah.

Julie Juu, who says she was the legitimate wife of the late producer, wanted Maame Dokono, Amankwa Ampofo, David Dontoh, the Abusuapanin of the deceased and the chief mortician of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital convicted for allegedly burying the late producer, despite being served a court order restraining them from going ahead with the burial.

Justice M. Iddrisu, the trial judge, ruled that although there was proof that the respondents were served with service, Maame Dokono, Ampofo and Dontoh could not be said to have acted willfully because they did not take the deceased from the mortuary, neither did they bury him.

He said for a contempt application to stand, there must be evidence that the respondents knew about the pendency of the injunction order and their action was willful. He said the fact that the respondents attended the funeral of Bosomprah could not be described as active because both the funeral and the burial of the deceased were organised by the family of the late producer.

According to the judge, the chief mortuary man could not be held responsible for releasing the body as he was acting on the instruction of his superiors.The judge consequently awarded GH¢6000 in favour of Korle-Bu and the mortician.

On the Abusuapanin, the judge noted that he was also served but disregarded the court order and went to Korle-Bu, took the body and went ahead to bury the deceased. He was therefore found guilty and convicted to a fine of GH¢1,000.

Maame Dokono was a few months ago acquitted and discharged by an Accra Circuit Court in a case in which she was accused of neglecting her orphanage called Peace and Love after the trial judge, Mrs. Georgina Mensah-Datsa, said she found no direct evidence linking her to the offence.

NkrabeahEffah-Darteh, counsel for Julie Juu, in the course of the contempt hearing, pleaded with the court to jail Ms. Grace Omaboe, David Dontoh, Amankwa Ampofo, the family head to deter those who might flout court orders.

Counsel for Julie Juu, who only said he was sure that the respondents heard about the injunction due to its wide media publicity, also stated that though he admired the three Akan drama personalities, he wanted them to be jailed for the said offence. The contempt application included the mortuary man of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital who was said to have released the body to the respondents for burial. Mr. Effah-Darteh also alleged that Mr. Ampofo, according to the P&P newspaper, granted an interview which seemed to suggest that he was aware of the injunction so he had no excuse for his action.

Maame Dokono, David Dontoh and Amankwa Ampofo, who are part of a 20-member funeral planning committee, denied having buried the man as they were not family members. They wondered why only the three of them should be singled out for court action.

Source: Daily Guide