Private legal practitioner and former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency, Inusah Fuseini, has urged the Attorney General’s office to pursue criminal action against Mr. Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh.
The former MP admitted that Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh is one of the finest lawyers he has come across in his many years of practice. He said that while the current situation of his learned friend is very “Sad and disappointing”, he pleaded with Ghanaians to allow the law to take its course.
He recognized the enormous role of the General Legal Council (GLC) in ensuring the integrity of the profession at all times and encouraged them to continue with their good works. In answering whether the GLC’s disbarment of Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh was punitive enough, the former Minister for Works and Housing stated that the GLC’s function is to only ensure professionalism in legal practice.
“The General Legal Council is responsible for the enforcement of professional conduct in the legal profession and upholding the ethics of the legal profession. It is the regulatory body for the legal profession in this country. Even though the conduct might originate from a criminal act, the General Legal Council is interested in regulating the conduct of lawyers.”
Inusah Fuseini
He added that the onus is now on the state, through the office of the Attorney General, to determine whether or not to make the case a criminal matter.
In a statement by the General Legal Council, signed by Judicial Secretary Justice Cynthia Pamela Koranteng, Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh was found guilty of overseeing the direct transfer of GH₵400,000 from Mr. Woyome to his wife’s bank account while representing the state in a lawsuit filed by Woyome in 2011.
The statement also read that Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh, Chief State Attorney, was allowed to defend himself before the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council, but he was unable to convince the Committee of the transaction between Mr. Woyome and his wife.
It was on that basis that the GLC issued that “Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh shall not hold himself out as a lawyer or attend chambers or render or purport to render any professional legal services to the public. The practicing license of Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh is hereby withdrawn forthwith”.
Akufo-Addo Intends To Spite Ghanaians With Latest Reshuffle
The former Member of Parliament also described the latest ministerial reshuffle by President Akufo-Addo as ill-thought-through and deliberately intended to spite Ghanaians.
He questioned what has changed for the President to change his mind especially when he has declined the numerous calls by Ghanaians, including his Members of Parliament in the Majority. He accused the President of being vindictive to NPP MPs who stood up against him in the passage of the e-levy during the NPP parliamentary primaries.
“It is too late for the appointed ministers to change anything. They will need at least six months to familiarize themselves with happenings in their sectors. They will also have to shuttle between parliamentary work and their constituencies because we are in an election year. I don’t think they have time to make any substantial influence.”
Inusah Fuseini
He added that the reshuffle of ministers now is an indication that Nana Akufo-Addo could have done the reshuffle long ago but delayed it because he did not care.
On whether or not there was fair regional representation in the President’s ministerial reshuffle, he argued that the reshuffle had not been inclusive enough since there were no appointees from the Western-North Region. According to Mr. Fuseini, if the government truly wants to run an all-inclusive administration and “a whole region is not represented then it is a genuine concern, which should not be dismissed”.
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