Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has indicated that he may seek a review of the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss his application to halt selected criminal trials during the legal vacation.
Justice Gabriel Pwamang, sitting as a single judge of the Supreme Court, dismissed Mr Oppong Nkrumah’s interlocutory injunction application on Friday, August 21.
The application sought to stop selected criminal trials from proceeding during the legal vacation, which runs from August 1 to September 30.
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the court made what he described as “very interesting pronouncements”, including an observation that some cases had been treated differently during the legal vacation.
“So, the court has dismissed our injunction application. But in the ruling, some very interesting pronouncements have been made. For the first time, the court has admitted that some cases have been treated differently. Those are the words of the judge,” he said.
He said the judge acknowledged that certain cases had been treated differently and expedited during the legal vacation but concluded that this did not amount to a violation of the constitutional provisions raised in the application.
“He doesn’t say so. But then he proceeds to say that in his opinion that will not amount to a violation of the constitutional articles that we have raised in this particular matter. And that he thinks that that will even be in the interest of the accused persons,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.
The MP said his legal team had requested a certified true copy of the ruling and would study it carefully before deciding on the next step.
“We’ve asked for a certified copy so that we can peruse it some more and then on the advice of counsel we’ll take the next steps,” he said.
Asked whether he was considering filing for a review, Mr Oppong Nkrumah replied: “Very much so, very much so, but we’ll consider it.”
His lawyer, Frank Davies, said the legal team would abide by the ruling for now while studying the full written decision.
“We will abide by the ruling of the court for now,” he said.
The dismissal clears the way for the affected criminal trials to continue while the substantive case challenging the constitutionality of the Chief Justice’s administrative warrants remains pending.
The affected cases include the trial of former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, as well as former NAFCO Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab, among others.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah and his legal team are expected to decide whether to seek a review after examining the certified true copy of the ruling.
