Court adjourns case involving dismissed NSS recruits

An Accra High Court has adjourned the case involving some sacked National Service Scheme (NSS) recruits and the Attorney General.

The case, filed by Spokesperson for the group, Edwin Afetsi, seeks an injunction to restrain the scheme, its Board, Management, representative or any other person or entity authorized by it from taking any steps to make any new recruitments in their stead and also wants the court to direct management of the National Service scheme to reinstate the dismissed persons.

Lawyer Efua Abam, representing the Attorney General pleaded that the case be adjourned for reasons that the AG is still in the process of filing a response to the application by the plaintiff.

According to her, a conditional appearance was filed on the 16th of March which gives the defendant a period of 14 days within which the process should be filed, this she said will give the defendant ample time to be briefed by the institutions involved.

Lead Counsel for the Plaintiff, Dr. Abdul Baasit Aziz Bamba in an interview with the media indicated that his clients are seeking redress because they were dismissed without just cause. He explained that the period till the next hearing will give the Attorney General enough time to file their responses for the case to proceed.

The next hearing is set for the 5th of April 2017.

Background

It will be recalled that over 200 National Service Scheme recruits appointed in December were dismissed and their appointments revoked by the secretariat on the basis that the recruitment did not go through the due process.

The scheme under the leadership of its new Executive Director, Ussif Mustapha, on Wednesday, February 8, terminated the appointment of some 205 recuits, who were employed by the secretariat towards the end of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) government in December 2016.

A statement signed by Mr. Mustapha, explained that the recruitment process was not accordingly followed hence the decision.

But the immediate past Executive Director of the NSS, Dr. Michael Kpessah Whyte, urged persons affected by the scheme’s decision to go to court. Dr. Kpessah Whyte, challenged the new Executive director’s decision saying he did not abreast himself with the documents that guided the recruitment of the staff.