The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding that the Chief Justice withdraw a petition to the General Legal Council (GLC) to investigate Bolgatanga East MP over his comments about the apex court.
John Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of the party, said the attempts by Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to silence NDC’s legal minds, such as Dr Dominic Ayine, amounts to intimidation.
Addressing the press in Accra on Monday, he said NDC lawyers will not be cowed by the whims and caprices of the judiciary, and they will speak freely.
“…Even as the action taken against Dr Ayine is unjustified, it is but a symptom of a larger problem. It is no coincidence that virtually all the lawyers who have been reported to the Disciplinary Committee of the Council by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, in recent times are aligned to the NDC.
“What is the Chief Justice’s personal interest in the punishment of NDC affiliated lawyers that he is so keen to initiate unwarranted actions against them?” he quizzed.
He added that “such treatment would not be meted out to lawyers who are aligned to the NPP for reasons best known to the Chief Justice.”
The Judicial Secretary has petitioned the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) of Ghana to investigate Dr Dominic Ayine, Bolgatanga East MP, over comments he allegedly made against the Supreme Court.
Dr Ayine, who was part of the Legal Team of former President Mahama, during the 2020 Election Petition, is said to have questioned the independence of the Judiciary due to the manner the Supreme Court adjudicated the election petition.
He made the comments in May during a discussion on Presidential Election Petitions and their impact on Africa’s Democracy, organised by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana.
The former Deputy Attorney General, made similar comments during the hearing of the petition at a press briefing on February 16, 2021.
He suggested then that the Supreme court had a “pre-determined agenda” to rule against the petitioner, Mr Mahama and was found guilty of contempt of the Supreme Court. The MP was hauled before the Apex Court but was discharged after he apologised profusely for the comments.
The Bolga East MP is now alleged to have made similar comments that, “The Supreme Court’s failure to apply the rules of procedure as well as the consistent and continuous dismissal of the petitioners’ applications or reliefs were the basis of his assertion,’ the petition said.
But the NDC says this is a grand scheme to gag its lawyers, and the party will not succumb to the “judiciary tyranny” under the watch of the Chief Justice.
“We wish to reiterate the fact that the invitation of Dr Ayine to appear before the General Legal Council is yet another attempt by the Chief Justice to intimidate and suppress views that are at variance with his views.
“Even if the Chief Justice disagrees with Dr Ayine’s views or deems same as erroneous, the statements made were decorous expressions of opinion about a judgement delivered by the Supreme Court and do not warrant professional discipline,” Mr Nketia said.
“If these actions by the Chief Justice are intended to browbeat the NDC and its members and prevent us from stating our views on the performance of the Judiciary, we hereby state categorically that they will not succeed! We will not be intimidated. We, as a party, will continue to defend the cause of freedom and of right in this country.
“We did not strive to put in place the building blocks of a sustainable democracy only to allow judicial tyranny to rear its head. And, we will never be intimidated by partisan occupants of state institutions, no matter the cost.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
