Justice Lydia Osei Marfo has ordered jurors in the Kasoa ritual killing case to forfeit their sitting allowances for Monday due to the absence of one juror.
The court was set to conclude its summation in the murder trial, where two teenagers are accused of killing an 11-year-old boy in 2021.
The case, now in its final stages, has faced multiple adjournments following a four-month strike by jurors nationwide, which has since ended, allowing the proceedings to resume.
Scheduled for Monday, October 21, 2024, the hearing included jury summation, deliberations, and a verdict. However, one of the seven jurors was notably absent, prompting Justice Marfo to express her frustration and question the foreman about the juror’s absence.
The foreman explained that the juror had been out of the jurisdiction since the legal vacation. Initially, the court imposed a fine of 100 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢1,200, on the absentee juror.
However, after a lawyer representing one of the accused, known as the Kasoa Boys, requested that the fine be rescinded, the judge complied.
Instead of the fine, the jurors agreed to forfeit their allowances for the day, leading Justice Marfo to order that the sitting allowances of the remaining six jurors be forfeited.
The case has been adjourned to October 24, 2024.
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