The National Democratic congress, NDC has decried what appears to be a well calculated attempt by the Cape Coast High Court Registrar Mr. Ustaz Hamza and other judicial officers to prevent the Assin North NDC MP from filling certain legal processes.
It will be recalled that the Supreme court yesterday 27th July 2021 passed a judgement on a case brought before it by the Assin North NDC MP, Hon Quayson directing him and his lawyers to fill their case before the trial judge sitting on the said case at the Cape Coast High Court.
The NDC parliamentarian went to the Supreme court praying it to prevent the Cape Coast High from passing judgement on his Ghanaian citizenship challenged by the New Patriotic Party, at the High court, since matters of citizenship based on grounds of interpretation and is the sole responsibility of the supreme court.
However with regards to the judgement by the supreme court, the National Chairman of the NDC and Lawyers for the Assin North MP were at the Court’s registry by 8:00am today, 28th July, 2021 which is the official time the registry is supposed to be at work to file the necessary legal processes. But as at 9am, the registry and filing room of the Court remain locked and the Registrar and other judicial officers were not at work. All efforts by the NDC to reach them have proved futile.
The communications officer of the NDC has said that “it does appear that the Registrar of the Cape Coast High Court, Mr. Ustaz Hamza and some other judicial officers in the Court’s Registry are in cahoots with the New Patriotic Party to prevent lawyers for the Assin North NDC MP from filing certain legal processes before the Trial Judge who has set today for his Judgement on the matter sits this morning”.
Sammy Gyamfi added that this is “exactly the same way the Registrar and Registry of the Court behaved in the processes leading to the service of an Order of Injunction on the Assin North MP and counter-attempts by lawyers for the MP to challenge same on 6th January, 2021 before the Speakership Election in Parliament”.
“The NDC can see a deliberate and evil conspiracy between the Court’s registry and the NPP to manipulate the court processes and decision in their favor, all in an effort to steal the Assin North seat from the NDC. And this begs the question as whether or not the trial judge is privy or party to this shameful conduct of the Court’s registry” he said.
The communications officer who took to social media to lament this incident concluded that “Sad day for judicial independence. The NPP can have its way today, but the truth shall surely prevail at the end of it all!”.
Read his full write-up below
Folks, it does appear that the Registrar of the Cape Coast High Court, Mr. Ustaz Hamza and some other judicial officers in the Court’s Registry are in cahoots with the New Patriotic Party to prevent lawyers for the Assin North NDC MP from filing certain legal processes before the Trial Judge who has set today for his Judgement on the matter sits this morning.
You will recall that yesterday, the Supreme Court directed lawyers for the Assin North MP to go back to the High Court and make a formal request for the trial judge to refer the case to the Supreme Court on grounds that same borders on the interpretation and enforcement of the Constitution and therefore falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, if they are so minded.
In furtherance of this directive, the National Chairman of the NDC and Lawyers for the Assin North MP were at the Court’s registry by 8am this morning, which is the official time the registry opens, to file the necessary legal processes. As at the time of this writeup, 9am, the registry and filing room of the Court remain locked and the Registrar and other relevant judicial officers who are paid by the State to facilitate the filing of such legal processes are not at work. All efforts to reach them have proven futile.
This is exactly the same way the Registrar and Registry of the Court behaved in the processes leading to the service of an Order of Injunction on the Assin North MP and counter-attempts by lawyers for the MP to challenge same on 6th January, 2021 before the Speakership Election in Parliament.
The NDC can see a deliberate and evil conspiracy between the Court’s registry and the NPP to manipulate the court processes and decision in their favor, all in an effort to steal the Assin North seat from the NDC. And this begs the question as whether or not the trial judge is privy or party to this shameful conduct of the Court’s registry.
It is very shameful to say the least, that Judicial officers who are supposed to exhibit independence, impartiality and professionalism in their work have compromised their integrity and are lending themselves as pliant tools for the manipulation of judicial processes by the desperate and despotic NPP/Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
Sad day for judicial independence. The NPP can have its way today, but the truth shall surely prevail at the end of it all!
Sammy Gyamfi Esq.