THEOPHILUS DONKOR vs. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL [2019]DLSC6583

Date	2019-06-12
Suit No.	WRIT NO. J1/08/2017
Citation No.	[2019]DLSC6583

AKUFFO (MS) CJ (PRESIDING)

DOTSE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

BENIN JSC

MARFUL-SAU JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

KOTEY JSC

SYLVESTER WILLIAMS

CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT WITH HIM AURIEL ASARE BOATENG

ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY AKAWARI ATINDEM

ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY AND VIVIAN OPOKU AGYAKWA

SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENDANT

GODWIN TAMEKLO FOR THE PLAINTIFF

[2019]DLSC6583
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THEOPHILUS DONKOR<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE ATTORNEY GENERAL<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<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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WRIT NO.
J1/08/2017&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; DATE: 12TH
JUNE, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>SYLVESTER
WILLIAMS, CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT WITH HIM AURIEL ASARE BOATENG,
ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY, AKAWARI ATINDEM, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY AND VIVIAN
OPOKU AGYAKWA, SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENDANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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GODWIN
TAMEKLO FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>AKUFFO
(MS) CJ (PRESIDING), DOTSE JSC, GBADEGBE JSC, BENIN JSC, MARFUL-SAU JSC,
AMEGATCHER JSC, KOTEY JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>KOTEY, JSC:-<o:p></o:p>1.0 Introduction<o:p></o:p>By a writ of summons issued on 4th
January 2017, the Plaintiff invoked the original jurisdiction of this court
pursuant to Articles 2 (1) and 130 seeking certain reliefs. The said writ was
amended pursuant to leave of this court granted on the 8th March
2017. The Plaintiff therefore filed an amended writ and statement of case on 10th
March 2017. The Defendant filed an amended Statement of case on 23rd
March 2019. The following reliefs are indorsed on the amended writ. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A
declaration that the removal from office of such Chief Executives, Chief
Executive Officers, Director-Generals (howsoever called) and members of
governing boards of public corporations merely on account of the assumption of
office of the person elected as President of the Republic of Ghana does not
amount to a just cause and is accordingly unconstitutional; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A
declaration that to the extent that section 14 of the Presidential (Transition)
Act 2012 (Act 845) requires all Chief Executives, Chief Executive Officers,
Director-Generals (howsoever called) and members of governing boards of public
corporations to cease to hold office merely on account of the assumption of
office of the person elected as President of the Republic of Ghana, the said
section 14 is unconstitutional as being inconsistent with the letter and spirit
of the Constitution, particularly Articles 70(1)(d)(iii), 190 and/or 191(b) of
the Constitution; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An
order of perpetual injunction restraining any person or authority from removing
from office such Chief Executives, Chief Executive Officers, Director-Generals
(howsoever called) and members of governing boards of public corporations
merely on account of the assumption of office of the person elected as
President of the Republic of Ghana. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>1.1
Memorandum of Agreed Issues <o:p></o:p>The parties filed the following joint memorandum of
agreed issues on the 9th May 2017. <o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Whether and to what extent the public
services of Ghana as defined under Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution are
separate from and/or independent of the executive authority of Ghana.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>2.