FRED KWASI AWUAH vs. THE HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HONORABLE ATTORNEY GENERAL [2019]DLSC8746

FRED KWASI AWUAH vs. THE HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HONORABLE ATTORNEY GEN... [2019]DLSC8746

Date	2019-12-19
Suit No.	WRIT NO J1/ 9/ 2018
Citation No.	[2019]DLSC8746

YEBOAH JSC (PRESIDING)

BAFFOE- BONNIE JSC

BENIN JSC

PWAMANG JSC

MARFUL-SAU JSC

DORDZIE (MRS) JSC

KOTEY JSC

KWAME ADUOBENG YANKYERAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF

LESLIE NYANKSON (SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY) FOR DEFENDANTS BEING LED

BY ELFREDA DENKYI (CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY).

[2019]DLSC8746
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >FRED KWASI
AWUAH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS)<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>THE HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HONORABLE ATTORNEY GENERAL<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS)<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

WRIT
NO J1/ 9/ 2018&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 19TH DECEMBER, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KWAME
ADUOBENG YANKYERAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF<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">

LESLIE
NYANKSON (SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY) FOR DEFENDANTS BEING LED BY ELFREDA DENKYI
(CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY).<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">

YEBOAH
JSC (PRESIDING), BAFFOE- BONNIE JSC, BENIN JSC, PWAMANG JSC, MARFUL-SAU JSC,
DORDZIE (MRS) JSC, KOTEY JSC<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>BENIN,
JSC:- <o:p></o:p>Introduction:
Plaintiff's case<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff filed a writ before this Court
claiming that the Chief Justice, the 1st Defendant herein, has committed
infringement of the 1992 Constitution by writing to suspend him from office as
a High Court judge, pending impeachment proceedings against him for his removal
from office. He claims that it is only the President of the Republic who is
empowered to suspend a Judge under article 146(10)(b) of the Constitution. In
the affidavit in support of the writ, the Plaintiff recounted the facts leading
to the setting up of an impeachment committee to investigate bribery allegation
against him. He claims the Chief Justice has no role to play in suspending a
judge who is undergoing impeachment. He therefore sought the following reliefs
from this court:<o:p></o:p>1. A declaration that by the
true and proper interpretation of Articles 2(1), 130, 146(10) of the 1992
Constitution, it is only the President of the Republic who can suspend a
Justice of the superior court who is facing an impeachment committee for
removal from office.<o:p></o:p>2. A declaration that by the
true and proper interpretation of the said Article 146(10)(b) of the 1992
Constitution, the power of the President of the Republic to suspend a Justice
of the superior court during impeachment proceedings cannot be delegated to the
Chief Justice.<o:p></o:p>3. A declaration that the
Chief Justice cannot suspend a Justice of the superior court who appears before
an impeachment committee set up under Article 146 for the purpose of removal
from office.<o:p></o:p>4. A declaration that the
suspension of the Plaintiff from office contained in the 1st Defendant's letter
dated 24th March 2016 is in breach of the Constitution and null and void.<o:p></o:p>5. An order of the court
directed to the 1st Defendant to allow the Plaintiff to perform his duties as a
Justice of the High Court.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Defendants' case<o:p></o:p>The defendants argued simply that the Chief Justice
has the implied authority of the President to suspend a judge who has committed
infractions of the criminal law, upon a purposive construction of some named
provisions of the Constitution. They maintain the position that the Chief
Justice acted to suspend the Plaintiff on the written authorization of the
President and this accords with the provisions of Article 146(10)(b) of the
Constitution.<o:p></o:p>