A private legal practitioner, Dr. Rainer Akumperigya has described the Chief Justice’s criticism of the research findings of law lecturer, Prof. Raymond Atuguba, as an affront to free speech.
Prof. Atuguba, after analyzing nearly 100 political cases presided over by the Supreme Court, found that in cases where the laws aren’t “clear”, the judges usually vote in favour of the political parties that appointed them to the supreme court.
But the Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo and some Supreme Court justices were not enthused about his research as they openly chastised him.
Sophia Akuffo, said the research was alien to Ghana’s democracy.
“It is an American type of research that you have done…that’s fine, but please be careful what you are importing into our environment… They [Americans] are used to that, we are not. I don’t think there was a single judge who agreed with what you were saying,” she said.
Justice Jones Dotse also said the research was an insult to judges.
But according to Dr. Akumperigya, the comments made by the Justices ocriticising Prof Atuguba’s research did not encourage free speech.
In an interview on Accra based citifm on Saturday17 February 2018, Dr. Akumperigya said, the justices could have challenged the findings of the report without criticizing the effort to produce it.
“You may have contrary views on that basis that this is not true or perhaps I didn’t vote this way as your purport that I voted. Our constitution and democracy is premised on free speech and fair comment. If the professor of law faculty cannot do that even against any authority in this country then no one can. What I heard and the exchanges that took place at that forum is an affront to free speech and fair comment. It is that serious,” he said.
However, a law lecturer, Professor Kwaku Asare has called on the Justices of the Supreme Court to avoid hurling criticism at Prof. Atuguba over the findings, but rather draw important values from it.
“Rather than play political football with Atuguba’s findings, let us draw the proper policy implications,” he said in Facebook post.
Source: ghanacrusader.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. Either side, comment is free and so are opinions, whether solicited or unsolicited.
There is a common saying that truth is more painful that lies. If these research findings were made against the police or the politician such as parliamentarians or any other body what will have being the reactions of these Supreme Court Judges? In any case have not these Americans and British and other exotic bodies come to conduct research here in Ghana and those findings were hailed by many if not all here in Ghana? Furthermore, who introduced research methods of such kinds to Africa and for that matter Ghana? Was it not this same American or British? So what makes the findings alien to our country Ghana? The justices should rather be proactive by also carrying out their own research to counteract the findings rather than castigating the professor who has done is work devoid of any biases. But what we need to know and understand is that these Americans and British have gone ahead to develop based on some of these findings. In UK the House of Lords now the UK Supreme Court have always been criticized on rulings by law professors and in some cases even by the general public for cases that are found to be wrongly judged and they (the judges) have often accepted such criticisms in good faith and made amends when the opportunity avails itself. This is democracy and we need to learn from them. The hatred that we Ghanaians have against criticisms must cease and lets move this country forward for future generations to admire us for our exploits. The bashing of the professor should end. He rather deserves to be praised for his work after all he is there for that.