AARON K. DUAH AND MIN. OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS [2000]DLCHRAJ5728

Date	2000-08-21
Suit No.	Our Ref: CHRAJ/505/99/1402
Citation No.	[2000]DLCHRAJ5728

BENJAMIN K. OPPONG

[2000]DLCHRAJ5728
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AARON K. DUAH<o:p></o:p>(COMPLAINANT)<o:p></o:p>AND<o:p></o:p>MIN. OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>(CHRAJ)<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" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Our Ref: CHRAJ/505/99/1402&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;21/08/2000<o:p></o:p>

</div>COMMISSIONER:<o:p></o:p>BENJAMIN
K. OPPONG DEPUTY COMMISSIONER LEGAL/OPERATIONS<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="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
complainant was a diplomat in the Ghana Foreign Service as at the 23rd August
1983 when he was retired from office on the directives of the PNDC Government.
According to the complainant he was acting as the High Commissioner of Ghana in
Lagos at that time.<o:p></o:p>In
this complaint the complainant prays for two main reliefs. The first is the
waiver on compassionate and humanitarian grounds the continual withholding of
his retirement benefits and authorise the reasons of his known entitlements and
secondly an order for full deduction of all his known indebtedness due to
Government from his total accumulated retiring benefits as may be determined.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
1.5pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">Upon
receipts of this complaint it was sent to the Foreign Ministry for comments but
for quite a long time there was no response.<o:p></o:p>In
February 2000 the Commission invited both parties for discussions but the
Ministry failed to turn up. The complainant was present and explained the circumstance
of his retirement from the Foreign Service and also answered questions put to
him by the panel.<o:p></o:p>It
is not in doubt that the complainant lost his job in August 1983 on the
directives of the PNDC government.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
1.2pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">The
Commission regrets that by the present state of the law this complaint stands
to be rejected by the provisions of Section 34(3) of the Transitional
Provisions of the 1992 Constitution i.e.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(3)"For the avoidance of doubt, it is declared that no
executive, legislative or judicial action taken or purported to have been taken
by the Provisional National Defence Council or the Armed Forces Revolutionary
Council or a member of the Provisional National Defence Council or the Armed
Forces Revolutionary Council or by any person appointed by the Provisional
National Defence Council or the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council in the name
of either the Provisional National Defence Council or the Armed Forces
Revolutional Council shall be questioned in any proceedings whatsoever and,
accordingly, it shall not be lawful for any court or other tribunal to make any
order or grant any remedy or relief in respect of any such act.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
1.4pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">This
provision in the view of the Commission effectively denies any Fora the right
to hear or determine and give any remedy in respect of any executive
legislature or judicial action taken or purported to have been taken by the
PNDC government. The retirement of the complainant was an executive act, which
forbids any court or tribunal to deal with.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
1.4pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">It
has been held that this Commission is not a court or tribunal that may well be
so. But the legislative intendment of the provisions referred to is clear that
such matters "shall not be questioned in any proceedings whatsoever".<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
.95pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">