Election 2020 Petition: GBA Intervened On Behalf Of Three Lawyers Hauled Before GLC
The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Anthony Forson Jnr., has revealed that members of the Ghana Bar Association who serve on the General Legal Council (GLC) intervened on behalf of three lawyers who where hauled before the Disciplinary Committee of the GLC for comments they made on the election 2020 petition trial aside Dr. Dominic Ayine, who appeared before the Court on a contempt charge.
Addressing the 2021 legal year Bench, Bar and Faculty conference under the theme; “Professional Development in a Virtual World – Emerging Trends and Best Practices”, today, Thursday the 8th of April 2021, the President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Anthony Forson Jnr. said the GLC accepted their intervention on behalf of the three lawyers and pardoned them.
“In the aftermath of the 2020 elections and during the just ended election petition, some lawyers unfortunately made statements that did not go down well with the generality of the legal fraternity and indeed a former Deputy Attorney General had to appear before the Supreme Court on a contempt charge. He did apologize and his Lordship the Chief Justice had words of admonishing for us all which we took on board with open minds. Indeed, three others lawyer Misters David Annan, Abraham Amaliba and Dr. Basit, were also hauled before the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council, but the Bar representative on the General Legal Council made an intervention for clemency which was supported by his Lordship the Chief Justice” the Bar President said.
“Lead by myself and the former Attorney General, Mariata Brew Appiah Oppong, we appeared before the Disciplinary Committee chaired by his Lordship, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, and after written apologies, we were advised to remember that in every situation we found ourselves, we should always act in ways which uphold the dignity of the profession” Anthony Forson Jnr., added.
Bench, Bar and Faculty Collaboration
On the 2021 Bench, Bar and Faculty conference, the Bar President noted that the need for a progressive relationship between the three (3) institutions who constitute the legal profession, cannot be over emphasized.
“A healthy relationship between the Bench, Bar and Faculty is a “sine qua non” [Without something, something else won’t be possible], for the growth of the profession and the confidence of the society in the legal system” the President of the Bar, Anthony Forson Jnr stated.
Topics Up for Discussion
The two day conference had Professor Phillip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), delivering a paper at the plenary session on the topic; “why should academics, judges and lawyers be bothered by continuing professional development when the world is in lockdown. Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, Justice of the Supreme Court, will deliver a statement on the topic.” pitfalls in applications invoking the supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Justice Marful-Sau, Justice of the Supreme Court and Senior Lecturer of the Ghana School of Law and Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei Justice of the Court of Appeal and Senior Lecturer of the Ghana School of Law and fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, will both take a look at “Witness Statements as Evidence-in-Chief and Case Management by Judges under CI 47 as amended by CI 87 Challenges and solutions and disclosures and due process: An examination of the right to silence in the discovery process and case management in criminal proceedings in Ghana”.
Social Media and Ethics- Where do we draw the line, will be the area of focus for Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice of the Supreme Court together with Victoria Barth, Managing Partner, Sam Okudzeto and Associates & Lecturer at the Ghana School of Law. Maximising client care in a virtual world and the impact of Covid-19 on justice delivery – Virtual hearing versus in person advocacy, will be the last two topics that will be dealt with by Justice Ellen Vivian Amoah, Justice of the High Court and Ace Anan Ankomah, Senior Partner, of Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah.
Source: Wilberforce Asare