JUSTICE EDWARD BOATENG vs. THE JUDICIAL SECRETARY, THE JUDICIAL SERVICE AND THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2018]DLSC218

JUSTICE EDWARD BOATENG vs. THE JUDICIAL SECRETARY, THE JUDICIAL SERVICE AND THE... [2018]DLSC218

Date	2018-02-28
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: J6/3/2017
Citation No.	[2018]DLSC218

AKUFFO (MS) CJ (PRESIDING)

ATUGUBA JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC

PWAMANG JSC

THOMAS HUGHES FOR THE PLAINTIFF

DR. E.I. KORAY (CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) LED BY WILLIAM POBI (CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE DEFENDANTS

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2018]DLSC218</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">JUSTICE EDWARD
BOATENG</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">THE JUDICIAL
SECRETARY, THE JUDICIAL SERVICE AND</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[SUPREME COURT,
ACCRA]</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><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:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;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: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">CIVIL APPEAL NO:
J6/3/2017&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;</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">DATE: 28</span><sup><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">TH</span></sup><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"> FEBRUARY, 2018</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">COUNSEL:
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">THOMAS HUGHES FOR
THE PLAINTIFF.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">DR. E.I. KORAY
(CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) LED BY WILLIAM POBI (CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE
DEFENDANTS.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">CORAM:
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">AKUFFO (MS) CJ (PRESIDING), ATUGUBA JSC, ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC, DOTSE
JSC, GBADEGBE JSC, AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC AND PWAMANG JSC</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;mso-outline-level:1"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><o:p>&nbsp;</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">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">GBADEGBE JSC:</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">We have before us in the exercise
of our jurisdiction under article (2) of the Constitution, a reference calling
for the interpretation mainly of article 140 (10) (b) of the constitution and a
related provision concerning the entitlement of superior court judges to
pension in terms of article 155 (1). We wish to note at the outset that
although the ruling by which our reference jurisdiction has been invoked
specifies in the concluding paragraph only the issue relating to the true
meaning of article 146(10) (b) of the constitution there is an implied
invitation to us to pronounce on the true meaning of article 155 of the
Constitution as well.&nbsp; In our opinion, as the interpretation of provisions
of the constitution belongs exclusively to this court, it is important that
once we discern from the process by which our jurisdiction under clause 2 of
article 130 is invoked that some other provision of the Constitution though not
specifically mentioned in the &nbsp;order of reference&nbsp; is&nbsp; either so
closely linked with the&nbsp;&nbsp; provision&nbsp; of the constitution
referred to us for interpretation&nbsp; or from the circumstances of the case
likely to become an interpretative issue before the trial court, then in order
to avoid multiple references, we are required at the very first opportunity to
make a binding&nbsp; pronouncement of the said provision as well.&nbsp; Thus,
in the matter herein, we propose to exercise our jurisdiction by way of
reference on the true meaning of articles 146 (10) (b) and 155(1) of the
Constitution.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;We commence our determination
with reference to the two provisions. Article 146 (10) (b) of the constitution
states:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 1in; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: in</main>