THE REPUBLIC vs. THE JUDICIAL SERVICE OF GHANA AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL [2017]DLSC2090

Date	2017-04-11
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/12/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLSC2090

ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING)

DOTSE JSC

YEBOAH JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

BENIN JSC

AUGUSTINE OBOUR FOR THE APPLICANT

STELLA BADU (CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE 2ND RESPONDENT

[2017]DLSC2090
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE JUDICIAL SERVICE OF GHANA AND <o:p></o:p>THE ATTORNEY GENERAL<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/12/2017&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;&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;DATE: 11TH APRIL, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>AUGUSTINE OBOUR
FOR THE APPLICANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">STELLA BADU (CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE 2ND RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING), DOTSE JSC, YEBOAH JSC,
GBADEGBE JSC AND BENIN JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>YEBOAH, JSC:-<o:p></o:p>On the 10th April, 2017 we dismissed
this application and reserved our reasons which we hereby proceed to deliver.<o:p></o:p>The applicant herein has invoked our supervisory
jurisdiction to quash the judgment of the High Court, Accra dated the 26th
October 2016.<o:p></o:p>To appreciate the basis for invoking our supervisory
jurisdiction the facts giving rise to this application must be stated for a full
and proper understanding of the case.<o:p></o:p>The facts appear to be devoid of any controversy.
An application for contempt intituled as The Republic v Anas Aremeyaw Anas &amp; 4
Others, Ex-Parte Justice Paul Uuter Dery was filed at the registry of
the High Court, Accra by law firm of Addo, Addo (Legal Attorney) on the 18th
day of September 2015. <o:p></o:p>The Applicant herein was at the time material to
these proceedings the Registrar of the Fast Track Court Division of the High
Court when the process above referred to was filed. As usual, the Applicant as
the Registrar fixed a date for hearing of the application and gave 12th
and 13th of October 2015 as the return date. The applicant herein,
however changed the return date to 28th September 2015. The
Applicant however, failed to notify the Presiding Judge of the change of date
for the moving of the motion for committal. As the Presiding Judge was unaware
of the change in date, from the original date of 12th &amp; 13th
October 2015 she proceeded to hear the application and dismissed same on 28th
September 2015 without recourse to the Applicants who had filed the application
(i.e. Justice Dery and the others). <o:p></o:p>The applicants, therein feeling naturally
aggrieved by the dismissal of the motion resorted to placing the matter in the
public domain which attracted unimaginable proportions in the press and social
media condemning the Presiding Judge and the Judiciary as a whole. The Chief
Justice was not spared. The presiding Judge Torkornoo JA (sitting as additional
High Court Judge) reported to the Chief Justice the conduct of the Applicant
herein as the Registrar who had caused such embarrassment to the entire
Judiciary. The Applicant was given the opportunity to respond to the report of
Justice Torkornoo to the Chief Justice. <o:p></o:p>This the Applicant complied with. However, her
explanation appeared not to be satisfactory and she was subsequently
interdicted and invited to appear before a Disciplinary Committee purposely set
up to investigate the Applicant’s conduct.<o:p></o:p>The Applicant did not appear before the Committee
but resorted to file a motion for judicial review before the High Court (Human
Rights Division) presided over by Her Ladyship Gifty Agyei Addo on 9th
June 2016 seeking the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of
Certiorari to bring up and quash the interdiction letter dated 4th
January 2016 served on the Applicant by the 1st Respondent on 12th
January 2016 as well as the invitation to appear before a disciplinary
committee dated 6th May 2016.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An
order of Mandamus compelling the Judicial Service to restore and pay the
benefits, arrears, allowances and entitlements due the Applicants from 1st
January 2016 which were withheld and only half paid to her from January to
date.<o:p></o:p>