ON AN APPEAL FROM THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE, GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL ACCRA SAMUEL VICTOR KORANTENG (APPELLANT/RESPONDENT) vs. DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE/ GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (RESPONDENT/APPLICANT) [2019]DLCA7803

ON AN APPEAL FROM THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE, GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL ACCRA SAMUEL... [2019]DLCA7803

Date	2019-01-16
Suit No.	SUIT NO H3/222/2017
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA7803

ADJEI J.A

LOVELACE-JOHNSON J.A

TORKONOO J.A

KIZITO BEYUO ESQ. FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPLICANT

KWABENA FRIMPONG MENSAH ESQ FOR THE APPELLANT/RESPONDENT

[2019]DLCA7803
																																						<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" >ON AN APPEAL
FROM THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE, GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL<o:p></o:p>ACCRA<o:p></o:p>SAMUEL VICTOR KORANTENG<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p>DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE/ GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

SUIT
NO H3/222/2017&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; DATE: 16TH
JANUARY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KIZITO
BEYUO ESQ. FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPLICANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

KWABENA
FRIMPONG MENSAH ESQ FOR THE APPELLANT/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

ADJEI
J.A, LOVELACE-JOHNSON J.A, TORKONOO J.A<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</div>ADJEI,
J.A:<o:p></o:p>The
attention of the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council was called
to a publication made by the Law Gazette, a London-based newspaper, dated 24th
February, 2011 which stated that the name of Samuel Victor Koranteng had been
struck off &nbsp;the Roll of Solicitors
practicing in England and Wales. The Disciplinary Committee of the General
Legal Council wrote to the said Samuel Victor Koranteng to offer an explanation
to the findings made against him as a result of which his name was struck off
the Roll of Solicitors practicing in England and Wales. He offered a detailed
explanation as to his&nbsp;&nbsp; conviction and
further indicated that he had appealed against the decision of the Tribunal&nbsp; in&nbsp;
England and Wales to the Administrative Court of the Royal Courts of
Justice.<o:p></o:p>In
this ruling, Samuel Victor Koranteng will be referred to as “the Respondent”
and the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council as “the Applicant”.<o:p></o:p>The
Respondent’s name was struck off from the Roll of Lawyers in Ghana after the
Disciplinary Committee, on the conclusion of its inquiry into the conduct of
the Respondent, directed so.&nbsp; The
Respondent, dissatisfied with the conclusion arrived at by the Disciplinary
Committee on 28th July, 2011, filed an appeal against the decision
on 3rd August, 2011 at the Registry of the Court of Appeal, Accra.
It is the forum in which the Notice of Appeal was filed which has brought about
this application.<o:p></o:p>On
1st June, 2017, the Applicant filed this application inviting this
Court to strike out the Respondent’s&nbsp;&nbsp;
appeal as incompetent. The thrust of the Applicant’s application is
contained in paragraph 9 of the supporting affidavit to the application. It
states thus:<o:p></o:p>“I am advised and verily believe same to be true that the
Appellant’s Notice of Appeal is incompetent in so far as the Notice of Appeal
herein was filed in the Registry of the Court of Appeal and not the Lower
Court, as required by this Court. Consequently, there is no valid or subsisting
appeal before this court for it&nbsp;&nbsp; to exercise
any jurisdiction in this matter”.<o:p></o:p>The
Applicant does not challenge the validity of the appeal with&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; respect to the time frame within which the
Notice of Appeal was filed. The Applicant’s application only attacks the forum
in which the Notice of Appeal was filed. Section 21 of the Legal Profession
Act, 1960 (Act 32)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; regulates appeals
against decisions emanating from the inquiries made by the Disciplinary
Committee of the General Legal Council. It provides thus:<o:p></o:p>“Where
the Disciplinary Committee on the conclusion of an inquiry into a disciplinary
case has directed the taking of disciplinary measures or has postponed its
decision under section 20 of this Act, the lawyer into whose conduct the
inquiry was made</main>