Blakk Rasta Risks Jail Over Attacks on Judge, Judiciary

Lawyers for Dr. Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple and Sesi-Edem Company Limited have filed a contempt application at the High Court against media personality Abubakar Ahmed, popularly known as Blakk Rasta, over a series of public broadcasts alleged to have scandalised the judiciary and undermined the administration of justice.

The application, brought pursuant to Article 19(12) of the 1992 Constitution, is seeking an order to commit the broadcaster to prison for contempt of court.

According to the motion and its supporting affidavit, the case arises from multiple broadcasts published on the respondent’s media platforms, including his widely followed YouTube channel, in relation to ongoing proceedings before the High Court involving the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and Dr. Kwamigah-Atokple.

The affidavit states that between April 13 and April 28, 2026, the respondent produced at least six broadcasts addressing the case, including issues relating to a court order freezing the applicant’s accounts and a pending motion for stay of execution.

Counsel for the applicants argue that the publications amounted to a sustained and deliberate campaign targeting the court, the presiding judge, Justice Richard Apietu, the parties, and their legal representatives.

The filing highlights several statements in which the respondent allegedly used harsh and derogatory language, portraying the court’s decision as fundamentally flawed.

In particular, he is accused of claiming that the judge had “messed up the whole thing” and attributing statements to other judges suggesting confusion and disassociation from the ruling—claims the applicants contend falsely portray the judiciary as divided and distancing itself from the decision.

In another broadcast, the respondent allegedly suggested that a judge declined involvement in the matter to avoid “soiling” his hands, a phrase the applicants argue implies that the court’s decision is tainted by impropriety or corruption.

The affidavit further cites a separate broadcast in which the respondent made the following remarks:

“Tanko is going to the court, where we all are supposed to get justice ultimately. But again, our courts are seen to have some rodents in there who can just do anything as Anas Aremeyaw Anas exposed to us the other day in his exposé… Congratulations for EOCO for not getting frightened or hindered by any court or anything that has to do with the law.”

Lawyers for the applicants contend that this statement not only employs offensive language in describing members of the judiciary but also directly encourages disregard for judicial authority.

They argue that praising EOCO for not being “hindered by any court or anything that has to do with the law” amounts to a public endorsement of defiance against court orders and poses a significant threat to the rule of law.

The applicants further maintain that such statements, taken together with other broadcasts, form part of a continuous narrative intended to undermine public confidence in the judiciary and exert improper external pressure on a sitting judge in an ongoing case.

According to the affidavit, this conduct constitutes the common law offence of scandalising the court, with an additional ground of contempt being the alleged intimidation of officers of the court.

The motion, filed by Mawunyo Kofi Adjaho of Knightscild Chambers, is seeking an order committing the respondent for contempt, as well as any further orders the court may deem appropriate.

The matter is scheduled to be heard at the High Court in Accra in May 2026.

Blakk Rasta was yet to respond to the contempt application at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, a report by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has exonerated Sesi-Edem Company Limited and its directors, including Dr. Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple, in connection with a disputed $14.315 million gold transaction.

The report found no incriminating evidence against the company in relation to a contract tied to the deal, despite ongoing investigations into allegations of defrauding by false pretences under Section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

According to the CID, available evidence shows that Sesi-Edem Company Limited supplied 32.8 kilogrammes of gold to JG Resources Limited under the agreement, with deliveries reportedly made at the company’s premises.

“On 25th May, 2025, the complainant entered into a contractual agreement with JG Resources Limited… cash the sum of USD 14,315,000 was remitted… for the purchase of 50kgs of gold,” the dossier stated, adding that the consignment was to be shipped to Unigold LLC in the United Arab Emirates.

“In view of the evidence available, nothing incriminating has been established against Sesi-Edem Company Limited in respect of the said contract,” the report noted.

The document, signed by Chief Superintendent of Police J. Osei Acheampong, Director of Administration at the CID, on behalf of Director-General Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, indicated that investigations into the broader matter are still ongoing.

The case originated from a petition filed on December 18, 2025, by Lithur and Brew on behalf of TAVEST FZCO. The petition alleged that JG Resources Limited received full payment for 50 kilogrammes of gold bars but failed to honour the agreement.

Investigators said TAVEST FZCO, through its director Kwaku Appiah Yeboah, entered into the agreement with JG Resources Limited on May 25, 2025.

The complainant claimed that $14.315 million was transferred from the United Arab Emirates into an Access Bank account provided by JG Resources Limited.

However, gold valued at $7.515 million was reportedly delivered, leaving an outstanding balance of $6.8 million in undelivered gold or unpaid refunds.

The CID report disclosed that Kwaku Appiah Yeboah and lawyer Papa Yaw Owusu Ankomah, both directors of JG Resources Limited, were arrested, cautioned, and granted bail pending further investigations.

It further stated that Frank Kofi Adjetey Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Frank City Mineral and Oil Company Limited, was also arrested, cautioned, and granted bail after investigators were informed that the gold had been sourced from multiple suppliers.

During interrogations, directors of JG Resources Limited told police they procured gold from several firms, including Goldline Mining Limited, Frank City Mineral and Oil Company Limited, Demensah Company Limited, and Sesi-Edem Company Limited.

The report added that Dr. Kwamigah-Atokple, Chief Executive Officer of Sesi-Edem Company Limited and Volta Region representative on the Council of State, was invited by investigators and submitted a statement along with contractual documents.

CID findings showed that JG Resources Limited subsequently entered into a contract with Sesi-Edem Company Limited on June 5, 2025, for the supply of 50 kilogrammes of gold, with the agreement set to run until June 5, 2026.

Investigators reaffirmed that 32.8 kilogrammes of gold had been supplied under the contract.

“In view of the evidence available, nothing incriminating has been established against Sesi-Edem Company Limited so far as the above-stated contract is concerned,” the report reiterated.

The CID conclusions align with an earlier ruling by the Adenta High Court on March 25, 2026, which held that the matter did not fall within the mandate of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) under Section 3 of the EOCO Act, 2010 (Act 804).

The court found that Sesi-Edem had obtained a gold trading licence from the Precious Minerals Marketing Company in August 2024, valid until August 2025, and had also secured authorisation under a government agreement.

Although the Goldbod Act revoked earlier licences, the court noted that a public notice issued on May 22, 2025, allowed existing licence holders to continue trading until June 21, 2025. It ruled that the June 5, 2025, contract fell within that window and was lawful.

In addressing allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation, the court held that the company committed no fraud and had not breached any directive.

It further ruled that no predicate offence had been established to support money laundering claims, describing EOCO’s actions as unjustified.

Justice Apietu concluded that EOCO acted unfairly and beyond its statutory mandate, contrary to Article 23 of the 1992 Constitution.

The court subsequently revoked the confirmation order and directed that the company’s frozen accounts be restored.

The CID report maintained that investigations into the wider transaction remain ongoing.