MP displeased with Attorney General’s ‘arrogant’ response to Parliament

The Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah response to Parliament over a resolution to get 499 law students admitted into the Ghana Law School has gotten some of the lawmakers incensed.

South Dayi Member of Parliament Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor has described the Attorney General’s response to Parliament as condescending.

He described the situation by saying “I am scandalized by the decision of the Attorney General. I am further scandalized by the tone of the AG’s response to Parliament, it is very condescending.  The AG is fighting a turf war with Parliament.

“If the Attorney General says that, prior to the resolution of Parliament he had received the instruction from the President to intervene to address the concerns of the 499, the question you ask yourself is what the concerns of the 499 are?

“The 499 are simply saying they were charged monies by the GLC to write exams, notice and conditions which were publicized on 14^th of May this year, to them they had complied with all the conditions therein and when the results came out they the 499 have discovered that they had passed the exams and so they should be admitted in addition to the 790.

“So if the president had instructed the Attorney General to intervene the simplest thing the Attorney General would have to do is to instruct the GLC to go ahead and admit them.

“If Parliament, a day or two, also gives directive, what he should be saying is that indeed we are grateful that Parliament has passed a resolution to this effect but the good news is that the president has also directed me. So with the support from Parliament and with the instruction from the President you are in a firm position to take progressive steps to get the GLC to admit them. This is how the AG should be speaking. The AG is saying that Parliament has no power to direct him to give instruction to the GLC to admit the students.”

The banter follows a resolution in Parliament on Friday, October 29, 2021, over the 499 LLB students situation where even though they obtained the pass mark of 50 per cent in the Law School entrance examination, they were denied admission to which effect Parliament directed that they should be admitted into the Law School, a decision that was backed by both sides of the house.

But According to the Attorney General, Parliament does not have the powers to compel the General Legal Concil to admit the 499 students .

He said “Respectfully, I am aware of a resolution passed by Parliament at its sitting on Friday, 29th October 2021 in these terms: … The General Legal Council is hereby directed to proceed and admit all the students who passed in accordance with the advertised rules of the examinations. The Attorney-General is the leader of the bar in Ghana and he must see to it that the directive that 499 students who scored 50 marks are admitted is complied with.

“We do not want to get to contempt of Parliament issues. Whilst recognising the general legislative powers of Parliament in Ghana, except as have been circumscribed by the Constitution, I am constrained to advise that Parliament is devoid of a power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law.

“The mode of exercising legislative power enshrined in article 106 of the Constitution does not admit of resolutions.

“In accordance with section 13(1)(e) and (f) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), the power to regulate admission of students to pursue courses of instruction leading to qualification as lawyers and to hold examinations which may include preliminary, intermediate and final examinations has been vested in the General Legal Council,” Godfred Yeboah Dame noted in his response.

By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh

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