Juliet was found guilty of cooking food for public consumption without ensuring medical screening for her staff and for preparing meals in an unsanitary, exposed public space.

The conviction was delivered on Tuesday, June 24, during the court’s inaugural sitting, following Mettle’s guilty plea to both charges.

The fine, amounting to GH₵360 and to be served concurrently, comes with a default custodial sentence of three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Speaking to the media after the court session, the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, described the case as a clear signal of AMA’s renewed determination to enforce sanitation and urban by-laws under its “Reset Accra” campaign.

“The establishment of this court was a personal priority for me since assuming office. It is a vital instrument for upholding order in our city.

“With the court now fully operational, residents must understand that violations of sanitation regulations and by-laws will no longer be overlooked. We are committed to restoring discipline in Accra, and this case sends a strong message that impunity will not be tolerated,” he stated.

Mr. Allotey highlighted the court’s role in sustaining the Assembly’s recent decongestion exercise, noting that it would be instrumental in prosecuting traders who operate beyond demarcated red lines and designated market areas.

Delivering an address on behalf of the Acting Chief Justice at the court’s commissioning, Supreme Court Justice His Lordship Imoro Tanko underscored the importance of the court in delivering swift justice for minor infractions that would otherwise overwhelm the higher courts.

“Minor offences such as traffic and sanitation violations often cause unnecessary delays and economic hardship for low-income residents. This court ensures justice remains both accessible and efficient,” he said.

Justice Tanko applauded the A.M.A. for its leadership in establishing the facility and urged all court users to respect and preserve the dignity of the institution.

Located within the A.M.A.’s City Hall premises, the new District Court is furnished with modern amenities including a typing pool, registrar’s office, magistrate’s chambers, docket room, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) office, and washrooms, all designed to meet contemporary judicial standards.

The court is expected to handle cases related to sanitation offences, traffic violations, public nuisance, and unauthorised developments, reinforcing the Assembly’s broader efforts to maintain order and cleanliness across the capital.

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It also confiscated the items of 17 food vendors, Mrs Florence Kuukyi, Director of Metro Public Health Department, AMA, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

She said some of the vendors sold expired food, ingredients and cooked in unclean places.
Mrs Kuukyi said others had kitchen staff, who were not medically screened or were suffering from infectious diseases, which could be transmitted to consumers.

She said her office was embarking on education, training, screening, and monitoring of food vendors at supermarkets, drinking spots, school canteens, restaurants, hotels, night clubs, chop bars and food stands and called for support.

Mrs Kuukyi said they were going to enforce regulations on the covering of hair while cooking, no wearing of nail extensions and polish and the no wearing of dangling earrings.
She said over 1,868 food vendors had been screened since January and certified to sell food.

Mrs Kuukyi said food was one of the “drivers that sustains humans” so, there was the need to always ensure food safety and advised the public to take responsibility for whatever they consumed ensuring that every morsel was safe to swallow.

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Previously, during and even before the start of the festivities, some service providers and traders from Koforidua ply their wares in Kwahu also in the Eastern Region to cash in on the economic opportunities that always come with the celebrations. 

This can probably be linked to the current economic challenges which have negatively affected most people who are now finding it difficult to make ends meet. Prices of goods and services are so high that most of the people just cannot afford them.

For instance, local fowls currently sell between GH¢200 and GH¢250 depending on the size as compared to last year when it sold at GH¢100. 

Also, the prices of goat, sheep, turkey among others have equally hit the roof making it difficult for the ordinary person to buy.

In addition, prices of vegetables, food stuff and other ingredients needed for the preparation of food are equally high. 

Due to the hikes in prices of goods and services,  a number of people The Mirror spoke to at New Juaben South and New Juaben North municipalities revealed that celebrating Easter was the farthest from their minds.

Others even told this reporter that they were not even aware the Kwahu Easter festivities were happening this weekend.

A trader who sells vegetables at the Koforidua Agartha market, Obaa Kumi said going to Kwahu for Easter  this year was not part of her plans. Her priority was how to get money to pay for her transport fare to her home town, Akim Oda, a distance which will cost her about GHc90 for a return trip.

A hairdresser at the Koforidua central market, Linda Otubea said her business was at the verge of collapse because most of her clients had stopped visiting her salon due to the economic challenges in the country.

“As a hairdresser, I have previously done brisk business at Kwahu Easter on a number of occasions but I don’t intend to go there this year because business is slow everywhere and I am sure to operate at a loss,” she added.

On her part, a waakye seller at Koforidua, Hajia Sahadatu Zakari, who usually pitches camp at Kwahu to sell her food has also decided to let this year’s Easter celebrations at Kwahu pass. 

According to her, she does not have enough money to make the kind of waakye she usually sold in the Kwahu area.

She added that, even the high cost of transportation from Koforidua to Kwahu would not allow her make any meaningful profit.

“If I look at what I will spend to get to Kwahu and back, in addition to the high cost of ingredients to prepare my waakye, going to Kwahu for this year’s Easter festivities would rather impoverish me”, she added.