Retired Justice Atuguba is speaking out of pains - Governance lecturer

Dr. Benjamin Otchere Ankrah, a governance lecturer at the Central University, has taken a swipe at retired Supreme Court Justice William Atuguba over his remarks about the judiciary.

Justice William Atuguba, delivering a speech at a public lecture on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, described the court's verdict as "scandalous".



"The James Gyakye Quayson's decision by the Supreme Court is with all due respect scandalous in that the court, in the teeth of the settled maxim Res Judicata et non quieta movere, re adjudicated the same matter that has been adjudicated upon by the High Court on the merits."

"The Supreme Court does not stand in good light with all due respect in disqualifying Gyakye Quayson, despite his clear certificate of renunciation of his Canadian citizenship as of November 26, 2020, whereas the elections were on December 7. I am not able to see substantial justice in this," he said, and asked, "if the certificate of renunciation is so mandatory and conclusive, why was it not conclusive in its effect to qualify Gyakye Quason when he received it, dated 26th November 2020, whereas the parliamentary election was held on 7th December, 2020?"

He added, "Statutes, judgments, and documents must always be applied with consistency, both in letter and spirit. These must always be construed holistically and as instruments of justice since it is a well-settled principle that the duty of a court is to do justice, and a court should not be turned away from doing justice."

The former Justice is also said to have granted interviews and accused the Supreme Court of being one-sided in their work.

Responding to these comments on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning discussion program, Dr. Benjamin Otchere Ankrah questioned the basis for Mr. Atuguba's claims.

To him, Justice Atuguba's assertions are born out of pain because President Nana Addo didn't give him an appointment in his second term in office.

"From where I sit, he spoke out of pain. During the time that he had big positions, does that mean he saw nothing? If Ghana is corrupt, it's not today; we have been corrupt...When he went to GRA, didn't he know there is corruption there? This is why I am saying that from where I sit, he is saying these things because he was not given another position," he exclaimed.