Justice Sophia Akuffo on Tuesday began her term as CJ by joining a five-member Supreme Court panel to hear a case of contempt of court brought against a lawyer.

Mr Adu Mantey is said to have connived with his client and filed an application to a vacation judge to retrieve GHS873,561, which was the subject of litigation between the lawyer's client and the Forestry Commission of Ghana.

A High Court had originally ordered that the money be kept at its registry pending the final determination of the case. However, the lawyer applied to a vacation judge who did not have all the facts of the case and succeeded in obtaining an order for the retrieval of the said money from the court registry.

Delivering a short ruling, Chief Justice Akuffo cautioned and discharged both the lawyer and his client and indicated that the court would refer the lawyer to the General Legal Council for disciplinary proceedings to be instituted against him.

Before the start of proceedings at the Supreme Court, however, a lawyer of 51 years’ standing who was present in court, James Ahenkorah, welcomed the new Chief Justice and congratulated her on the Bar’s behalf for assuming the high office of Chief Justice.