A former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare has said he will not advise the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to drag the Attorney General, Godfred Dame before the General Legal Council (GLC) following his alleged misconduct in the ongoing ambulance purchase trial.
Mr Ansa-Asare believes the institution may not be able to address Dr. Forson’s concerns due to the role the AG plays on the council.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, the former Director explained that although the Council is mandated to regulate the legal profession in Ghana, the Attorney General is a stalwart in its composition.
“The General Legal Council is mandated under section 17 of the Legal Profession Act 1960 to discipline every lawyer. The Attorney General is first and foremost a lawyer, and therefore he is subject to the disciplinary measure or procedure of the General Legal Council.
“But the General Legal Council is constituted by Supreme Court judges including the Chief Justice and the next most powerful person is the Attorney General. So the General Legal Council will be a toothless bulldog in this matter because the Attorney General is a stalwart in the composition of the council.
“I will not advise or suggest to the defence counsel to go there unless the Attorney General is suspended or made to step aside”.
His comment follows the ruling by an Accra High Court that it has no jurisdiction to handle matters relating to the alleged misconduct of Attorney General, Godfred Dame, in the controversial ambulance procurement case.
The presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, subsequently urged the applicant to direct the issue to the General Legal Council (GLC), as it is the appropriate authority to conduct probe matters of ethics in the legal profession.
But touching on this, Mr Ansa-Asare explained that even the Judicial Council will be powerless should such a complaint be made against the Attorney General.
“The Chief Justice is the chairperson of the Judicial Council and the next most powerful person is the Attorney General. So we have found ourselves in a conundrum,” he stressed.