'Fearless' Crabbe played unprecedented roles in law, democracy – Bawumia

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed grief over the death of retired Supreme Court judge, Vincent Cyril Richard Arthur Charles Crabbe.

Dr Bawumia, who posted on Facebook to commiserate with the bereaved family said the deceased “played an unprecedented role in the development of law, as well as, democratic institutions in Ghana, and was a fearless advocate”.

In his view, Ghana has lost an icon.

Mr Crabbe died on Friday, 7 September 2018 after a short illness. He was 95.

He was a former Professor of Law at the University of West Indies and a Professor of Law at Mountcrest University.

Born on 29 October 1923 at Ussher town in Accra, Gold Coast, he was educated at the Government Junior and Senior Boys Schools in Accra. He attended the Accra Academy for the Cambridge Junior and Senior School Certificates. He went to London to study Economics at the City of London College Moorgate, London 1950-1952.

In August 1952, Mr Crabbe was admitted to the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple to read law He completed the normal three-year course in two years and was called to the Bar on the 8th February, 1955 having being granted a dispensation.

The same year he was enrolled as a member of the Gold Coast Ba in order to maintain his Seniority at the Bar. He progressed from Assistant Crown Counsel to Parliamentary Counsel, the first African to be appointed as such and ended up as a Senior Instructor at the International Law Development Centre in Rome, Italy.



He held the post of First Parliamentary Counsel and Constitutional Advisor to the Uganda Government, Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat Scheme for Legislative draftsmen for the West African Region, Southern Africa Region, the Caribbean Region and a Professor of Legislative drafting at the Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, University of West Indies.

Mr Crabbe was Special Commissioner to the 1968 Constitutional Commission; Legislative Draftsmen to the 1969 Constituent Assembly which drafted the 1969 Constitution of Ghana. He was the Chairman of the 1979 Constituent Assembly and drafted the 1979 Constitution of Ghana.

He worked with the Constitutional Review Commission of Kenya and was Leader of the group of Draftspersons who drafted the Kenya Constitution. He did work the Zambian Constitutional Commission for the drafting of the Zambian Constitution as well with the Fiajoe Review Commission for the review of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

He was elected a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and delivered an inaugural lecture on 15 March 2017 on the theme: The Philosophy of Man.