TV licence court: Chief Justice should have rejected idea – Professor

Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo should have ignored a request by the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to set up a special court to deal with persons who fail to pay their television licence fees, Kwaku Asare, a United States-based Ghanaian professor has said.

The courts, as approved by Ms Akuffo will be located in all the regions and will sit every Thursday with effect from 4 January 2018 to prosecute persons who fail to pay their TV licence.

But commenting on this on his Facebook page, Prof Asare said: “We must be careful not to develop a culture where every public institution is asking her ladyship to set up a special court to enforce its claims.

“Her ladyship should have rejected the Director General’s request to set up Special TV License courts and use the occasion to advice the Director and the nation that debtors’ prison are unlawful in the country. As such, section 10(1) of NLCD 89, as amended by PNDCL 257, which criminalises the non-payment of the licensing fee is unconstitutional.

“We recite that we want to be bold to defend the cause of freedom and right yet we won’t enforce the law on admitting students to study law while we are quick to set up courts to enforce unconstitutional laws. Let us adopt a new approach in 2018.”