AMARFIO vs. GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL [1991]DLCA2061

Date	1991-11-28
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1991]DLCA2061

OSEI-HWERE J.S.C.

AMPIAH JA

ADJABENG J.A.

PETER ADJETEY S.A.G. (WITH HIM WILLIAM ADDO) FOR THE APPELLANT.

SAM BADDOO CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY (WITH HIM MRS. ANSON CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY MRS. ACQUAH STATE ATTORNEY AND TETTEH ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1991]DLCA2061
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">AMARFIO<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1991] 2 GLR 479<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 28
NOVEMBER 1991<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>PETER ADJETEY, S.A.G. (WITH HIM WILLIAM ADDO) FOR THE APPELLANT. <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

SAM BADDOO, CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY (WITH HIM MRS. ANSON, CHIEF STATE
ATTORNEY, MRS. ACQUAH, STATE ATTORNEY AND TETTEH, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY) FOR
THE RESPONDENT. <o:p></o:p>

OSEI-HWERE J.S.C., AMPIAH AND ADJABENG JJ.A. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF OSEI-HWERE<o:p></o:p>Section 16(1) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) provides
that a lawyer who has been guilty of grave misconduct in a professional respect
(including any conduct which, in pursuance of rules made by the General Legal
Council under Part III of the Act, is to be treated as grave misconduct in a
professional respect), shall be liable either to have his name struck off the
roll of lawyers or to be prohibited from practising as a lawyer for a period
specified in the order suspending him. Part III of Act 32, of course, relates
to discipline. Section 23 of Act 32 also provides that the General Legal
Council may prescribe standards of professional etiquette and conduct for
lawyers, and may by rules made for that purpose direct that any specified
breach of the rules shall for the purposes of Part III of the Act constitute
grave misconduct in a professional respect.<o:p></o:p>The disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council derives
its authority to receive, investigate and decide on complaints relating to the
conduct of a lawyer under Act 32. The rules prescribing standards of
professional etiquette and professional conduct for lawyers formulated in
pursuance of sections 23 and 53 of Act 32 are contained in the Legal Profession
(Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 1969 (L.I. 613). On 18 October 1988
the disciplinary committee of the council notified the appellant of the
following charges:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“COUNT 1 <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Statement of Misconduct <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Grave misconduct in a professional respect contrary to section 16
of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32). <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">PARTICULARS OF MISCONDUCT <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">For that you Willie Amarfio, a lawyer, caused to be published an
advertiser’s announcement in the People’s Daily Graphic of Saturday, 21 May
1988 to the effect that: ‘A.E. Norteye and his associates are not members of
the Adjiwate family as they do not descend from the founder of the Adjiwate (Omaboe)
We’, a statement which you knew was not true and calculated to mislead the
public, inasmuch as in the civil suit No. Trs. 9/81 between the plaintiff, Nii
Okwei Omaboe, and the defendants A.E. Norteye and Others in which you appeared
as counsel for the plaintiff, the High Court in its judgment dated 29 February
1984 found that A.E. Norteye and J.A.N. Osuteye (the first and the second
defendants) were descendants of the said Adjiwate family by blood <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">COUNT 2 <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">STATEMENT OF MISCONDUCT <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Grave misconduct in a professional respect, contrary to sections
23 and 53 of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) and of rule 9(12) of the
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 1969 (L.I. 613). <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">PARTICULARS OF MISCONDUCT <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">For that you Willie Amarfio, a lawyer, in service to your clients
caused to be published on behalf of your clients an advertiser’s announcement
in the P</main>