By Grace Zigah
In a dramatic turn of events that has rocked the legal fraternity, Paul Adu-Gyamfi, a respected legal luminary and former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), has been found guilty of contempt of court by the High Court in Kumasi.
The conviction stems from his persistent refusal to comply with judicial orders relating to the administration of his late mother’s estate.
The ruling, delivered on May 12, 2025, by Justice William Osei-Kuffuor, found Adu-Gyamfi guilty of civil contempt after a detailed and damning judgment that accused him of deliberately flouting court orders issued as far back as January 2023.
His conduct, the court concluded, was not due to any misunderstanding but a “calculated decision to act outside of the bounds of judicial control.”
Background to the Case
The legal dispute originated following the death of Madam Akua Konadu, grandmother of the Applicant, Derick Adu-Gyamfi, and mother to the Respondent.
Madam Konadu’s Last Will and Testament appointed Paul Adu-Gyamfi, as the sole executor of her estate.
The Will, which was admitted to probate on June 9, 2023, outlined the distribution of various properties to named beneficiaries, including the Applicant’s mother, Augustina Adu-Gyamfi, and aunt, Evelyn Adu-Gyamfi.
On January 27, 2023, the High Court, presided over by Justice Frederick Tetteh, ordered Paul Adu-Gyamfi to vest the properties specifically named in the Will to the designated beneficiaries.
However, the Respondent failed to carry out these instructions, prompting the Applicant to file a contempt application.
The Court initially found that while Adu-Gyamfi had not complied with the orders, his failure was not necessarily willful.
As such, it extended the deadline for compliance in a ruling dated May 30, 2024.
Even then, the Respondent continued to disregard the directives, leading the Court to revisit the case and deliver a stronger sanction this time.
A Pattern of Disobedience
The Court found that Adu-Gyamfi, instead of complying with the explicit orders, attempted to substitute the estate property in question — House No. 14, Block V, Bantama, Kumasi — with a different property not covered by the Will.
This act, the Court held, was a clear and willful disobedience of lawful orders.
“The Respondent’s explanation regarding the misdirection of the property is unsupported by any credible evidence and cannot serve as legal justification for non-compliance,” Justice Osei-Kuffuor stated.
Further, the ruling underscored that Adu-Gyamfi, as both an executor and an officer of the Court, was held to a higher standard of conduct and had therefore “demonstrated gross disregard for the judicial process.”
Legal Consequences and Ultimatum
The High Court found the contempt application by Derick Adu-Gyamfi, a legal practitioner himself, to be well-founded.
The Court ruled that the former GBA President was guilty of contempt but offered him a final opportunity to purge the contempt within 30 days.
