Supreme Court grants GAF's application for Review

Accra, Jan 20, GNA - The Supreme Court on Tuesday, unanimously granted an application for a review brought before it by the Ghana Armed Forces against its earlier ruling in which it quashed the conviction of a non-commissioned officer of the Ghana Army by the Court of Appeal. Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah chaired the seven-member panel that had Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, Mr Justice Francis Kpegah; Mr Justice William Atugubah; Dr Justice Seth Twum, Mr Justice Steve Glenn Baddoo and Professor Justice Kodjo Paku Kludze as members.

The court upheld the Ghana Army's review by setting aside its earlier decision, and allowing the ruling of the Court of Appeal in that matter to stand.

In 1997, Warrant Officer Class One (WO 1) Nixon Tetteh, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), was tried by a court-martial and dismissed from the Army.

WO 1 Tetteh, a corporal at the time of his trial and dismissal, was charged with assaulting the Provost Marshal of the Ghana Army in November 1996.

He was also accused of using violence against a superior officer. After his conviction by the court martial, WO 1 Tetteh appealed against the judgement at the Court of Appeal, but lost the case. In March last year, Tetteh took the matter up at the Supreme Court for redress, where in a unanimous decision, the five-member panel ruled in his favour and quashed his conviction.

Not satisfied with the court's decision, the Ghana Army also went to the Supreme Court for a review of its earlier ruling.

Mr C.K. Koka represented WO1 Tetteh while the Ghana Army had Colonel Anane Brobbey as its counsel.