Dery not bothered – Lawyer

Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, counsel for Justices Paul Uuter Dery, Mustapha Logoh and Gilbert Ayisi Addo, all Justices of the High Court, who have all been suspended together with Justice Charles Quist, has indicated that his clients are not bothered about the development.

The presidency announced their suspension on Wednesday, 9 May.

The suspension letter, dated 8 May 2018 and signed by the Director of Communications at the presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the advice of the Judicial Council, given in accordance with Article 146 (10) (b) of the 1992 Constitution, suspended, with immediate effect, four Justices of the High Court.

The letter said: “The suspension follows the establishment of a prima facie case against them by the Committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate alleged acts of bribery and corruption against certain persons, including the four Justices, as contained in the 29th August 2015 petition of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas”.

But in Mr Samoa Addo’s view, this statement was needless because “they are already on suspension pursuant to the fact that they are on half salary, not sitting and are not receiving their allowances”, hence the current government cannot suspend them again.

He told Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Thursday, 10 May that: “The justices are not bothered about this development because they have already been suspended. This is no news.”

He further stated that: “The statement was needless, meaningless because the people are already on suspension. It shows that Eugene Arhin who issued the statement is uninformed and not abreast of the issues.”

“The statement is legally incompetent”, he added.