General News of Thursday, 10 June 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2021-06-10
General Secretary of NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia
• Asiedu Nketia, the Chief Justice is trying to use the GLC to gag lawyers from commenting on rulings
• He asserts that there is a victimization of lawyers who are members of the NDC
• He has criticized the decision by the Chief Justice to drag the Dr Dominic Ayine before the GLC
In the past few months more than five lawyers who are known members of the National Democratic Congress have faced the General Legal Council which is chaired by the Chief Justice Anin Yeboah, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of the NDC has revealed.
Asiedu Nketia made the disclosure on Okay FM during a discussion on the petition to the GLC to invite Dr Dominic Ayine to provide clarity on some comments he made about the verdict on the 2020 Election Petition.
Asiedu Nketia said “so far about five or six NDC lawyers have been hauled before the GLC in recent months”.
Asiedu Nketia is concerned that Ghana is treading on dangerous path with the position by the head of the Judiciary.
He questioned why Dominic Ayine would be invited when others have made similar statements without being subjected to questions from any authority.
“Where are we headed, that now lawyers can’t comment on a case? I want us Ghanaians to know that the General Legal Council isn’t the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is not the one inviting Dr Ayine, it’s the Chief Justice who has petitioned the GLC to invite Dr Ayine. What country are we live in that a chairman of a parliamentary committee can be hauled before the GLC for an academic analysis for a case held by the Supreme Court. Is he saying people can no longer criticize the court?”
Asiedu Nketia also appealed to Parliament to invite the Chief Justice and charge him for contempt.
“My opinion is that they should cite Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah for contempt of Parliament and haul him before the Privileges Committee to answer questions. No one is above the law in this country.”
He also disclosed that the move by the Chief Justice is an attempt to gag lawyers from expressing their views on court rulings.
“Meanwhile people have expressed comments than what the NDC lawyers said. The forum, wasn’t it a CDD platform? Why haven’t they invited the lawyers on that platform. Dr Prempeh had already made his opinion. GLC can’t be used to gag Ghanaian lawyers. If they are scared their cases will be discussed at the law school then they should close the law school,” he said.