An alleged ‘fake’ lawyer Nana Adjei Ntow, who was arrested by the Airport Police on the orders of an Accra High Court for posing as a lawyer in court is suing Daily Guide Network and four other media outfits for publishing the story.
The others are Ghana Web, Multimedia Group Limited, Joynews Network, UTV and one Inspector Angel Lolo, an investigator with the Airport District Police Command.
According to a statement of claim issued by the plaintiff, Nana Adjei Ntow, he confirmed that indeed he has not been called to the Bar after graduating from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School with a Bachelor of Law Degree.
However, he explained that having graduated from GIMPA Law school, he could not be a fake lawyer as published by the media outlets.
In his statement, the plaintiff claimed he is a professional law student and a prospective lawyer and a social advocate and chief executive officer of Access to Justice in Ghana, an NGO whose operations have led to the release of many prisoners who were unjustly incarcerated.
Nana Ntow is therefore demanding GHC5 million damages from the media establishments for publishing the story of his arrest.
Meanwhile, on February 24, 2009, the Brong Ahafo Regional Branch of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) called for the plaintiff’s arrest for posing as a lawyer and solicitor in courts in the region.
Then Regional Secretary of the GBA, Adu Bosompem, told the Ghana News Agency that the Association had obtained a copy of a motion filed by Rev Ntow, who signed as solicitor on behalf of an accused person, asking for a review of a bail condition for the client at a circuit court in Fiapre, near Sunyani.
He said the Association heard about Rev Ntow’s illegal activities after the court, presided over by Benjamin Osei, wrote to enquire from members if Rev Ntow was a member.
It would be recalled that an Accra High Court ordered for the arrest of the 56-year-old man who allegedly posed as a lawyer and was defending a client in court recently in Accra.
Nana Adjei Ntow was in court to defend a complainant who had filed a stealing case against his former girlfriend when the court presided by Gifty Adjei Addo, realized that the suspect was impersonating and ordered for his immediate arrest.
A police source who was at the court said on December 22, 2019, one Edward Debrah of East Legon, a complainant in the case for which the suspect had represented him in court, reported to the Airport district police that his ex-girlfriend had stolen his 2016 unregistered Toyota Corolla.
The complainant told the police that the lady after stealing the vehicle, also forged documents to the car and registered it.
According to the report, during police investigations, it came to light that the vehicle was not stolen from the complainant as he had reported and that he handed over the vehicle to the lady together with documents to register it in her name.
Police investigations indicated that, the complainant apparently left the lady and secretly got married to another woman but upon hearing it, the lady also decided to get married to another man.
The information indicated that the complainant then gave the lady an option to either leave the man and take the vehicle or return the vehicle but the lady disagreed and that was the reason the complainant reported the matter to the police.
The information indicated that the police after their findings, decided not to prosecute the matter but Nana Adjei Ntow, (now suspect) reported at the police station and identified himself as a Lawyer practicing in the Brong Ahafo region, and was representing the complainant.
“Suspect Nana Adjei Ntow went ahead to file a counter case at the Accra High Court against the victim (lady in the case) and during the proceedings, the court realized that he was impersonating as a lawyer and caused his arrest.”
The trial judge immediately called for his arrest and prosecution.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)