Minority Chief Whip Governs Kwame Agbodza has responded to the reaction of the National President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) as regards his verdict on the tenure of immediate past Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.
The Adaklu Member of Parliament (MP) says Yaw Acheampong Boafo does not know the operations of Parliament and cannot determine what members comment on or not.
Mr Acheampong Boafo at the 41st anniversary of Martyrs Day had expressed concern about the recent public criticisms of justices of the courts over judgement deemed unfavourable.
“Hiding behind political interests to only ridicule and politicise judgements but not from the angle of legal, scholarly and constitutional appraisal of their decisions unfairly and inappropriately lowers the dignity of our courts and hurt the rule of law,” he said on Friday, June 30.
“That is why it is totally unacceptable for a member of the leadership of the Minority in Parliament, hiding ostensibly under the protection of Parliamentary immunity granted by the 1992 Constitution, in supporting a motion solely to unanimously approve the nomination of the current Chief Justice to launch an unwarranted attack on the person of the immediate past Chief Justice describing such a colossus of a jurist in derogatory terms,” he cited, alluding to Mr Agbodza’s comments during the vetting of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said the National President of the GBA must be separated from the Association in the current matter and dealt with head-on.
“Mr Yaw Boafo does not have enough understanding on the way Parliament works,” Mr Agbodza fired.
“When we are vetting people, we want to know the person that is going to occupy a particular position. Mr Yaw Boafo should be concerned about the CDD report in 2020 that said very uncharitable things about the perception of Ghanaians about the judiciary.”
Making specific reference to the vetting of Chief Justice Torkornoo on Friday, May 26, the Minority Chief Whip said many other senior lawyers have expressed similar opinion with his about the judgement.
“He is making reference to our line of questioning during the vetting of the current Chief Justice and in his view he thinks I didn’t provide any evidence or he said it is irresponsible.
“I think we can separate Yaw Boafo from the Ghana Bar Association because I have heard very senior members of the Ghana Bar Association, more senior than him, who have criticized the two cases I cited – the Gyakye Quayson case and the case on birth certificates.
“So I don’t think he has any prerogative or he owns the rights to criticise and others cannot criticise.”