A former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Sam Okudzeto, has described the Private Members’ Bill by two NDC MPs to exclude the Chief Justice as well as other Justices of the Supreme Court from the General Legal Council (GLC), as a joke.
Mr. Okudzeto speaking on the move, indicated that if the two MPs who proposed the Bill are lawyers, then their understanding of the law leaves a lot of question.
“I don’t see how the qualified lawyer is going to appear before the court and you say that those for who we 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”.
Sam Okudzeto
The former GBA President admonished the two NDC MPs;to tread cautiously because there can be more troubles in relation to the move they have taken. Also
“They have problems, I think they should just go and keep quiet. If you misbehave, we will deal with you in accordance with the rules and laws that have been laid down”.
Sam Okudzeto
Aggrieved 499 law Students Request GSL to Reverse its Decision
Dafeamekpor suggests GLC refuses to listen to anybody
Mr. Okudzeto’s comments follow a memo sent to the Clerk for Parliament by two Members of Parliament: Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor and Francis-Xavier Sosu,;proposing a bill which they say is aimed at redefining the functions of the GLC. Also
The two Members of Parliament noted that;the bill will provide reforms in legal education such that;accredited faculties of law with the requisite facilities would be licensed to run professional law courses,;ensure discipline of lawyers and related matters to give effect to Article 37(1) of the 1992 constitution. Also
Parliament not authorized to give GLC directives
Speaking on Parliament’s directive to GLC to admit the 499 law students, Mr. Okudzeto intimated that Parliament has no authority to give directives to the General Legal Council (GLC).
Mr. Okudzeto said Parliament has no such power under the country’s constitution adding that he disagrees with the directive given by Parliament.
“Under what authority? I’ve also been a Member of Parliament before but a lot of my people in Parliament just assume that because they are in Parliament they can do anything they like. You [Parliament] don’t have any such authority or power. If you look at the constitution, it’s there black and white; the President and Parliament, nobody can tell them [Judiciary] what to do.”
Sam Okudzeto
He added that the General Legal Council (GLC) is established under law and nowhere in the law is the power given to Parliament to give directives to the General Legal Council. He noted that the power of the Parliament is limited by an Act.
This comes on the back of Parliament on Friday, October 29, 2021 passing a resolution to compel the General Legal Council (GLC) to admit all the 499 aggrieved law students who obtained at least 50% in the entrance exams but have been denied admission to the Ghana School of Law.
