<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation" hidden>[2000]DLCHRAJ5815</p> <div class="restriction-wrapper"> <div class="container-lg"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12 restricted-content"> <div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper"> <div class="lock-icon bounce-7"> <img class="" src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png" alt="Subscription based content"> </div> </div> <a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg" style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> Login to Read Full Case </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B050">KUMASSAH, S.K. & ORS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(COMPLAINANTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">AND<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B050">GHANA NATIONAL FIRE SERVICE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(CHRAJ)<o:p></o:p></span></b></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;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">Our Ref: CHRAJ/697/97/2000 20/10/2000<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">COMMISSIONER:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">BENJAMIN K. OPPONG DEPUTY COMMISSIONER (LEGAL & OPERATIONS)<o:p></o:p></span></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; mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">DECISION<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">By a letter dated 31st October 1997, which. Was addressed to the Commission, the complainants (numbering 49 and led by Messrs Kumassah and Blankson) complained that they had been retired from their employment with the GNFS without just cause. They complained that their employments had been arbitrarily terminated by one common letter which was addressed to all of them. [NO.NFS/ADM/P/010/Vol.11/32,] dated 9th November 1989.). A Copy of the letter was attached to the complaint. It is worthwhile reproducing the pertinent portions of it at this stage. "In accordance with the letter No.SCR.102/SF.3/7 of 9th November 1989 from the PNDC Secretary of the Interior in connection with the enquiry into fire outbreak at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Accra , in June 1989. That covers the performance of the National Fire Service, the PNDC Seretary accepted the Committees recommendations and directed the retirement and termination of the appointment of some of the personnel of the service on various grounds, including Inefficiency. Mental Incapacitation, Persistent Drunkenness and Old Age"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">The complainants decried the "if the cap fits you, then wear it “approach which the termination letter seemed to have adopted. No specific charge was leveled against any specific individual. They all had their appointments terminated on one or all of the charges of inefficiency mental incapacitation, persistent drunkenness, and old age. The complainants considered this treatment to be most unfair, arbitrary and unacceptable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">Furthermore, the complainants complained that the termination exercise was carried out in complete disregard of all laid down procedures, in particular The Fire Service Regulations, 1965, LI 461.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: 1.4pt;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">According to the complainants they petitioned the then Chairman of the erstwhile PNDC on 10th February 1990. They sent a reminder on 10th March 1991 after the first petition did not yield any response. (copies of these petitions were attached to the petitions which the complainants addressed to the Commission on 31 October 1997.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">The Commission submitted the complaint to The Chief Fire Officer for his comments on 8th January 1998. A reminder was sent on 5th March 1998. On 19th June 1998 the Acting Chief Fire Office wrote to the Commission to acknowledge the receipt of the complaint. Paragraph 2 of the reply stated quote: "Find attached letter no SCR.1002/SF.3/7 dated 9th November 1989 which contains the directives upon which the officers were either retired or had their appointments terminated”. This said attachment was supposed to have had attached to it " a copy for your information and implementation a copy of the White Paper on the Supplementary Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Fire outbreak at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in Accra in May 1989"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">The said attachment was never received at the Commission. Several requests which the Commission addressed to the GNFS for the White Paper went unheeded until March 2000 when the Acting Chief Fire Officer wrote to the Commission and stated inter alia: (1) We were not given a copy of the White Paper (2) We only complied with the directives from the then government. (3) However, you may contact the secretary to the government -for copy of the said White Paper. (4) As to the circumstances leading to their dismissal we are not in the position to explain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">It is very pertinent to relate a rather peculiar twist of events where the GNFS itself had written to the Commission on 19th June 1998 and in no uncertain terms declared that a copy of the White Paper was attached to its letter whereas, no such document was attached. Curiously, in its letter of a later date, 9th March 2000, the same GNFS categorically stated that it was, not given a copy of the White Paper the Commission felt obliged to hold a hearing of the parties with the view to ascertaining what the real situation was. All the invitations which the Commission sent to the GN were ignored by the GNFS. There is on record a Certificate of service of Hearing Notice which t</main>
