Court acquits NPP’s Alexander Sarfo-Kantanka in bribery case

The High Court in Kumasi has acquitted Alexander Kwabena Sarfo-Kantanka. He is the New Patriotic Party's Constituency Chairman for Juaben in the Ashanti Region. This ruling comes from an alleged bribery case related to his confirmation as Municipal Chief Executive.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor investigated after a viral video surfaced. In the video, Sarfo-Kantanka demanded a refund from assembly members. He claimed he had paid them to secure his approval after being rejected twice.

Sarfo-Kantanka faced 26 corruption charges for allegedly bribing assembly members. These bribes were meant to help him gain approval as Municipal Chief Executive under President Akufo-Addo. The court sustained 23 counts and allowed his lawyers to defend against three remaining counts.

The trial began on October 20, 2022, following the incident in 2021. During this incident, Sarfo-Kantanka confronted assembly members about refunds. The prosecution closed its case after calling three witnesses who denied receiving any money.

Sarfo-Kantanka pleaded not guilty to all charges and was granted GH¢90,000 bail. The presiding judge was later transferred but filed a plan to conclude the case.

In her ruling, Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori stated there was no direct evidence linking Sarfo-Kantanka’s demand for a refund to bribery allegations. Counsel for Sarfo-Kantanka, Kwame Adom Appiah, noted that his client experienced trauma during the trial.