NPP’s Sarfo-Kantanka acquitted in alleged MCE bribery case

The High Court in Kumasi has acquitted and discharged the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Constituency Chairman for Juaben in the Ashanti Region, Alexander Kwabena Sarfo-Kantanka, in a high-profile bribery case linked to his nomination as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).

Sarfo-Kantanka had faced 26 counts of corruption in relation to a public election, stemming from allegations that he offered bribes to assembly members to secure their votes during his confirmation process as MCE under the Akufo-Addo administration.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) launched investigations in May 2022 after a video surfaced online, allegedly showing Sarfo-Kantanka demanding a refund of money he claimed to have given assembly members following his rejection for the second time.

While the court initially upheld 23 of the charges, the defence was instructed to respond to the remaining three.

However, in her ruling, Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori found that the prosecution failed to prove that the funds in question were meant to influence the votes of the assembly members.

In a statement released following the verdict, the OSP confirmed Sarfo-Kantanka’s acquittal and discharge, noting that the court did not find sufficient evidence linking the viral video to vote-buying.

Sarfo-Kantanka had been President Akufo-Addo’s nominee for the Juaben Municipal Chief Executive role at the time of the alleged offences.

Read below statement from the OSP