Eugene Boakye Antwi says steps taken by the Chief Justice to petition the General Legal Counsel on the behavior of Mr. Dormice Ayine outside the court is in the right direction.
He condemned the element of partisanship with the Judiciary emphasizing that objectively, the content of Bolga East MP’s statement deserved to be probed.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Subin Constituency acknowledged on Metro TV’s Good morning Ghana on Wednesday, June 23, that the NDC legislator is” one of the finest members of parliament. I haven’t seen him at work as a lawyer but as a colleague in parliament, I think he is one of the most decent and polite guys in the house. Very approachable and what have you” he added.
Eugene Boakye Antwi noted however that it was during the 2020 election petition hearing that he had the opportunity to assess the other side of Dominic Ayine indicating “then came the election petition in 2020. That day, as a matter of fact, I was watching him on television when he uttered those words as ‘predetermined agenda’ and so on. He was called before the court for contempt and virtually all the lawyers in the courtroom, those outside the courtroom spoke highly of his decorous behavior and described him as a very decent chap. He got off and then the case runs a course.”
“But for the Chief Justice of the Republic to write to General Legal Counsel, well I’m not sure of the content of what Professor Ayine said, but for the Chief Justice to write then the Chief Justice also feels that look, ‘you’ve come before us, you’ve been left off the hook, the next minute you’re outside saying all manner of things about us,’” he stressed.
Mr. Boakye Antwi was optimistic the direction taken by the Chief Justice will ensure that persons brought before the law are guided in their utterances. “So I’m sure as chief justice, head of the legal profession in our country, I have to get the General Legal Counsel involved to ensure that discipline is instilled in the profession. It’s a highly disciplined profession anyway.”
The Subin Constituency lawmaker urged the main issues of such a case to be considered eliminating the partisan twist to it.
“Let try and take the personalities out and look at the substance of the petition. Was it indeed that this has made scurrilous or coruscating attacks on the integrity of the judiciary? Sure, I mean the chief justice will have no choice but to report the matter to General Legal Counsel of which he also is a subject. I think that we should wait and see how the whole thing passes out. We shouldn’t just rush to a conclusion.”
By Ernest Tetteh Kabu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
