ECOWAS court ruling: Pronouncement will be objective – Nii Kpakpo Addo

Counsel for suspended High Court Justices, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo has said he is confident of a positive outcome in favour of his clients from the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, which is expected to rule on the case on May 30th.

Lawyer Samoa Addo, on behalf of his clients Justices Paul Dery, Mustapha Habib Logoh and Gilbert Ayisi Addo in November 2016, sued the Government of Ghana, the Chief Justice, the Judicial Council and the Attorney General, at the Community Court of West Africa in Abuja, Nigeria, claiming violations of their human rights.

On March 29, 2017, the Justices again filed an application at the same court seeking an interim injunction to stop the impeachment process against them.

At the recent hearing of the application for an injunction in Bamako, the three-member panel fixed May 30th to deliver its ruling after lawyers for the applicants and the State of Ghana made their oral submissions.

The Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, in a communique issued on behalf of the president, subsequently suspended the Justices yesterday, a development which has been described by their lawyer as unnecessary and bogus.

Speaking to ghanaweb.com, Lawyer Nii Kpakpo Addo said his clients were going to ignore the presidency as they were more focused on the upcoming judgement.

“We are preparing to go to the ECOWAS Court because we take it seriously. We believe that we have a panel that does not have any emotional attachment or is not under any pressure from the media because they are removed from the scenario in Ghana.

We know whatever they pronounce will be from an objective point and we are very confident we will come out victorious. It will enrich the rule of law and inform the public that if you are not satisfied with the local courts you have the international court to go to. We think this is a good opportunity, and so far so good. We are doing well and we hope to come out victorious.”

He further noted some outcomes that the country should expect should the ECOWAS court rule in their favour.

“We have been patient since 2015 and we are bidding our time. When we win and we begin to deal with the financial issues, I think people will then begin to think, because imagine one hundred and something people just in the judicial service alone, being reinstated and their allowances and salaries having to be paid back to them from that three years.

It’s going to be interesting. Imagine the financial cost to the country, are we prepared as a country to allow an individual to lawlessly roam this country, fail people for them to go to court, win the case and have Ghana pay? Are we really prepared for all that? He asked.