Justice Sulemana Nasiru Gbadegbe
A Supreme Court judge, Justice Sulemana Nasiru Gbadegbe, yesterday broke down as he marked his last day at the bench after reaching the statutory age of 70.
The judge, who had been at the bench for 31 years with 11 years at the Supreme Court, was very emotional after he read the court’s decision in ‘David Apasera and 39 others vs Attorney General’ as his final judgment.
The case was calling for the implementation of the Chinery Hesse report which recommended pension payment for former Members of Parliament.
The court held that former MPs do not have any constitutional right to receive pension.
It was the decision of the court that retired MPs were entitled to gratuities as stipulated in Article 114 of the 1992 Constitution.
Tributes
Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah described Justice Gbadegbe as a judge who had left an indelible mark on the bench.
He said he was honored to have been on the same bench with him while expressing his gratitude to the now retired judge.
Justice Gbadegbe eventually lost his voice in a packed courtroom as he took his turn to address the court and called for dedication to justice delivery in the country.
He said judges alone could not do the work as they needed the support of all lawyers and all involved in the justice delivery system.
Justice Jones Dotse, the President of the Ghana Bar Association, Anthony Forson Jnr., and Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame all took turns to pay tributes to the judge’s long service to the nation.
Justice Gbadegbe took his last bow as a judge as the remaining 16 Justices of the Supreme Court including the Chief Justice bowed to him.
Profile
Justice Gbadegbe (rtd.) obtained his Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) in 1975 from the University of Ghana and his Law Qualification from the Ghana School of Law in the same year.
After many years of service as a lawyer, he was appointed to the High Court in 1989.
After 10 years of service as a high court judge, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal by the late Jerry John Rawlings.
Then in 2009, he was elevated as a Justice of the Supreme Court by the late John Evans Attah Mills, where he served for 11 years.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak