By Henry Kargbo
The Chairman of the 21-man Interim Transition Governance Committee (ITGC), Alfred Peter Conteh, will be issued a bench warrant if he fails to appear in court today.
Alfred Peter Conteh is to battle out a fresh court case brought against him by a member of the 21-man committee of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party.
Because Peter Conteh failed to appear before Hon. Justice Adrian Fisher yesterday 6 October 2022 at High Court No1, Lawyer Africanus Sesay has asked the Judge for a bench warrant for the APC interim body chairman Alfred Peter Conteh.
Sesay told the court that Peter Conteh has changed his solicitor Ady Macauley and replaced him with Lawyer Jesse Jengo.
Giving his submission in court, Peter Conteh’s lawyer Jesse Jengo told the court that his client had called him and said he had seen the court ‘papers’ in a WhatsApp group, adding that those papers had not been served him yet and that he was told that the matter would come up on Thursday 6 October 2022.
Lawyer Jengo told the judge that his client was “in the provinces taking care of family issues” and that he had changed his solicitor.
He said that if such court papers had been brought to his notice he would have informed his client to be in court at all cost, adding that he knew that his colleagues had not received the same.
“I know that the APC is now under a 21-man committee and if anything had to be changed, my client could have had knowledge of it because he is the chairman for that committee,’’ Lawyer Jengo said.
He said further that the application for bench warrant should be discountenanced because his client had not been served, which is against the procedure.
He pleaded that a date be accorded to them in the interest of justice to help them to prepare their own necessary papers for the court matter.
Jengo also said his client has respect for the court, adding that when his client saw the notice through social media, he instructed him to be in court.
According to Hon. Justice Fisher, he would have issued a bench warrant for Alfred Peter Conteh but he would not want the court to be used as a source for political points.
Justice Fisher told Lawyer Jengo that if his client Alfred Peter Conteh “is not in court today there will be a bench warrant” for him.
He added that both his lawyer and Alfred Peter Conteh were aware of the proceeding and that he ought to be in court today at 9:30 am.
Justice Fisher also said that Peter Conteh would be held for contempt of court, adding that he was very serious about the matter.
He said: “I am going to make specific orders for Alfred Peter Conteh and I will issue a warrant for him if he fails to appear in court.”
