Judge Challanges Chief Justice

A former Director of the Ghana Law School Seth Yeboa Bimpong-Buta has dragged Chief Justice Kwame Wiredu and the General Legal Council to court for prematurely retiring him from service. Other defendants in the case are the current director of the Ghana Law School, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, the registrar of the school, Michael Nkansah Okyere, and the Attorney- General and Minister for Justice, Papa Owusu Ankomah.

Mr. Bimpong-Buta is seeking a declaration that his retirement at the age of 62 instead of 65 is premature.

The former Law School director says he was asked by the Chief Justice not to resume duties as Director of the law school on his return from a lawful duty.

Bimpong-Buta contends that the purported appointment of Kwaku Ansa- Asare as Director of the Law School smacks of favouritism, inconsistency, bias and a perpetration of injustice.

He is seeking a declaration of the court that his premature retirement runs contrary to the Legal Profession Act of 1960 Act 32, which does not allow neither the Chief Justice, the Chairman of the General Legal Council nor the Council itself to appoint or purport to appoint any other person as Director of the School while he has not lawfully gone on retirement.

Mr. Bimpong-Buta also wants the court to nullify the appointment of Mr. Ansa-Asare "because the said appointment impugns his accrued right to retire at the age of 65 years as enshrined in section 8 (1) and (7) of the Transitional Provisions of the Constitution, 1992''.

He is also asking the court to restrain the General Legal Council and its Chairman, Chief Justice Kwame Wiredu from holding Mr Ansa-Asare out as Director of the School.

The former Law School director also contends in his writ that the registrar of the school, Michael Okyere has since February 4 this year attained the compulsory retirement age of 65 and his continued stay in office is in contravention of the Constitution. Sam Okudzeto and Associates are representing Mr. Bimpong-Buta.