Mark Okraku Mantey, who is the Deputy Minister of tourism, arts, and culture, has been issued a bench warrant of arrest for failing to appear before the Adentan circuit court.

The Deputy Minister is accused of breaking the Vigilantism and Related Offenses Act Section 7 (1) and (2). According to the prosecution, the deputy minister forced his way onto a land held by one Alhaji Tony Baba.

Mark Okraku Mantey was scheduled to appear in court yesterday, 18th January, 2022, to continue the case management meeting in preparation for the trial to begin. However, Mark Okraku Mantey never showed up.

According to some reports, the unavailability of some persons during the court proceedings didn’t end there as it is worth noting that Mark Okraku Mantey’s attorney was also unavailable at the court. However, he obtained authorization from the court to be absent from the court proceedings.

During court proceedings, Superintendent of Police, Patience Mario, prosecuting, asked the court for a bench warrant to arrest the defendant [Mark Okraku Mantey]. The warrant was then issued by the court, which was presided over by Judge Sedinam Awo Balokah, and the case was adjourned to February 8, 2022.

Mark Okraku Mantey, Deputy Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture

Background of the Story

The case of the prosecution was that the complainant, Alhaji Tony Baba, is an estate developer residing in North Legon, Accra. The complainant was reportedly developing a block of property in Oyarifa High Tension, which the accused person also claimed possession of.

According to the prosecution, the accused traveled to the spot on 3rd March last year with three “thugs”, two of them were on a motorcycle and one in his car.

The accused individual went to the site for a few hours on March 9 last year, after which the “thugs” with whom he had previously visited the site, returned and reportedly attacked the employees and caused damage to parts of the structure, according to the prosecution.

Per the court report, the complainant reported the incident to the police and named the accused [Mark Okraku Mantey] as the perpetrator of the “unwarranted attacks and damages”.

According to the prosecution, the accused individual was contacted during interrogation and asked to report to the police station to assist with the investigation.

Mark Okraku "Kumasi theatre will be completed by end of next year"– Mark Okraku Mantey Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mark Okraku Mantey has hinted that the Kumasi theatre promised by the government will reach its full completion by the end of 2022. Mark Okraku Mantey, during an interview said the Government's job for the creative industry is to create an enabling environment especially for people who have interest in creative arts. Therefore, the need to build a theatre that is going to house close to 2000 people. "We [creative industry players] asked for it four years ago and the President has taken steps that we must start. By next year, pictures of Kumasi's theatre will be out. By end of next year, the theatre will be complete". In 2019, during the President's third State of the Nation Address on February 21, he announced that work on the construction of the performance theatre was underway in Kumasi. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his address disclosed that the Eastern Region Theatre was completed, and work was ongoing towards the construction of the Kumasi theatre. Last year, there were reports that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture on behalf of the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Bengbu International Technology & Economic Cooperation Ltd for construction of a two thousand capacity theatre/conference Centre to be built in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital. In 2016, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised to build a large theatre in each region should they win power. In its manifesto, the NPP said, " We will pursue the construction of modern large seating theatres in every regional capital except Accra, beginning with Takoradi, Tamale, and Kumasi, as well as setting up an additional copyright office in Tamale to cater for the northern sector in addition to the existing ones in Accra and Kumasi". In 2019, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia reiterated the New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s campaign promise to build large seating event theatres in all regions of the country. Meanwhile, several industry players and observers have time and again complained about how the industry is neglected and not taken seriously. However, contrary to this ideology, Mark Okraku-Mantey noted that the arts and tourism industry is a big deal for the President. He revealed that President Akufo-Addo views the ministry as more of a "business tool than a governance tool". "President Akufo-Addo sees this industry as a big deal. When he called me to become the deputy, what he said was that he does not need research to know that the industry is a good industry. The pictures are all over the world. In many developed countries, tourism is a big deal. And for the creative aspect, he knows how creative individuals In the West are rich. So, he doesn't need any research to let him know that investing in this industry will bring profit". Mark further posited that because of the business mindset the President has about the industry, he decided to choose two business-minded persons to spearhead the ministry. Thus, the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Hon. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal and himself — Mark Okraku Mantey.

More Damages Caused

More damage was allegedly made to the three-bedroom building on 10th March last year while police were waiting for the accused individual, per the court documents. Mark Okraku Mantey was then identified as the one who brought and directed the “thugs” to cause the damage.

According to the prosecution, the complainant’s workers were reportedly attacked again on 3rd April last year, injuring two persons. The injured victims were given police medical documents so they could seek treatment, the court report indicated.

The building, which had been built to a lintel level and was valued at GH¢63,700, allegedly sustained further serious damages on March 20, 2021.