Sam Okudzeto
Former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Sam Okudzeto has described the two Members of Parliament (MP) belonging to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are hiding under a private member bill to humiliate the Chief Justice under the guise of amending the legal education as jokers.
Sam Okudzeto warned that there could be repercussions for the two MPs, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, South Dayi MP and Francis-Xavier Sosu, Madina MP, adding that they should not misbehave with the Private Member’s Bill to amend the Legal Professions Act, 1960, Act 32.
He was optimistic that their attempt is nothing but a big joke.
He advised the two lawyers to keep quiet because there can be more troubles than they realised since they will be dealt with in accordance with the rules and laws that have been laid down.
Nelson Dafeamekpo and Francis-Xavier Sosu have proposed amendment to the composition of the General Legal Council (GLC), excluding the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Supreme Court.
The MPs, through the Private Member’s Bill, is trying to realign “the functions of the GLC and to provide for reforms in legal education such that accredited faculties of law with the requisite facilities would be licensed to run professional law courses, provide for discipline of lawyers and related matters to give effect to Article 37(1) of the 1992 constitution.”
The main aim of the bill is to have the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Supreme Court taken off from the GLC.
However, in an interview on Accra-based Radio station, on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 Sam Okudzeto, a member of the Council of State said that the two MPs are ignorant of the law wondering how they are practicing as lawyers.
According to him, “If they are lawyers, then their understanding of the law leaves a lot of question. I have been a member of the disciplinary committee for many years; I am still there… if I tell you the number of complaints that keep coming there…
“So I don’t see how the qualified lawyer is going to appear before the court, and you say that those who are going to appear before do not have any power of control over their training or education.
“It’s a joke. I must confess that they are jokers, and I don’t know who they are, and I don’t want to know who they are.
“They have problems; I think they should go and keep quiet because there can be more troubles than they realised in the fact that we are concerned. However, if you misbehave, we will deal with you in accordance with the rules and laws that have been laid down,” he said.
By Vincent Kubi