Police Prosecutor challenges lawyer to produce license

A police prosecutor on Wednesday challenged the eligibility of a lawyer to ply his trade and dared him to produce his license in court.

Police Chief Inspector, Francis Cobbina said, since Mr. Osei Kwadwo Addo’s name was not on the list of lawyers permitted to practice law in 2012 published by the General Legal Council, he should not be permitted to appear for a client facing a criminal charge before the Kade District Magistrate’s court.

When the Magistrate, Mr. Abdul Majid Illiasu, asked the prosecutor for the grounds for the submission, he said he had the list of lawyers who had been licensed to practice in 2012.

The Magistrate therefore asked Inspector Cobbina to submit the list and he later produced a Daily Graphic issue of June 17 this year, which had the names of all licensed lawyers.

The magistrate then requested Mr. Addo to produce his license but he replied that he left it at home.

The case was then adjourned to November 08 for the lawyer to produce his valid license which allows him to practice law in Ghana.

It all started when Mr. Addo, who was defending Christopher Gbadasu, who stood surety for one Victoria Agboada, facing charge of “fictitious trading”, submitted that his client never entered into any agreement with the Police before Victoria was released.

The lawyer called on the prosecution to prove that the surety truly entered into bail agreement (bond) of GHC 10,000.00 before Victoria was released.

The prosecution had it that Gbadasu after signing the bond on January 07. was asked to produce Victoria on January 10 and when he failed to do so on January 13, a forfeiture of recognizance was served on him and was summoned to appear before the Court to show cause why the bond of GHC 10,000.00 should not be extracted from him.

Chief Inspector Cobbina not satisfied with the submission of the lawyer, who is also the counsel for the Kwaebibirem District Assembly, applied to the court to ask Mr. Addo to show his valid license that allows him to practice law for the year 2012.