I found my self in Ghana during COVID in late January 2020 and in a bid to re-establish my legal career embarked on the Ghana Bar course to qualify as a lawyer.
Despite significant prior legal experience working for major financial and energy giants during my three decades of residency in London, I am now faced with a complex legal situation relating to (among other things) the infringement of my human rights and Reputational damage.
I was called to the bar in November 2022 as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
On 13th January 2023, during the course of my pupilage, my Pupil Master and I presented at the Law School following unsubstantiated allegations that they “erroneously” called me to the bar.
We brought full explanations and meticulously-compiled evidence to address allegations brought by the Registrar on behalf of Mr. Yaw Oppong the Director of the Ghana School of Law as demanded.
The evidence I adduced completely rebutted and put to bed the false allegations.
Despite all this, amidst a complex web of events I was asked to withdraw myself from the bar and a frivolous claim was made in order to bring me before the General Legal Counsel Committee of Inquiry to “explain how I got called to the bar”. It made no sense.
Between the course of my studies (a 2 year period) and the Committee Hearing, I was subjected to the following:
a) Several instances of intimidation, bullying Sexual Harassment, threats,
b) Infringement of my Human Rights including freedom of expression
c) denied right to a fair hearing – we were subjected to a kangaroo court type procedure where my human rights were infringed as I was not allowed to state my side of the story but was just required to answer questions and was shut down when it was heading in a direction they did not like or in conformity with the set narrative. It appeared they did not read my submissions in advance. They were not interested in hearing the truth. The case was adjourned abruptly when they found nothing to implicate me on my phone.
d) The GLC Committee pressured me to accept and take blame for the incompetences of the GLC AND GSL. This was frightening and upsetting.
I was accompanied by two junior lawyers and we were quite frankly bullied, humiliated and intimidated. It was very frightening and very disconcerting for me as a person returning to a third world country after three decades. I did not feel safe in that environment.
e) infringement of my privacy etc. – The committee forcibly took my mobile phone against my wishes to look at a message I had received
I was denied the right to complete my pupillage and forced to leave the country in fear for my safety after being subjected to a kangaroo court where I was treated like a criminal, shouted at, intimidated and pressured to accept that I had not completed the course even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
WHO IS INVOLVED
1. The Director of the Law School (claims to be getting calls from above to remove me from the bar)
2. The Registrar of the Ghana School of Law
3. The Deputy Registrar (manipulated results)
4. An Appeals Court Judge
5. The Former President of the Ghana Bar Association
6. The General Legal Council committee comprising of 2 lawyers and a supreme court judge
7. My pupil master
8. The Attorney General
IMPACT
I was traumatised by the incident of the false allegations and between February and April 2023 I was bleeding heavy clots incessantly, became anaemic, involuntarily biting the inside of my cheeks due to the stress and anxiety caused and the trauma. I was unable to sleep and developed constant migraines. I have endured a prolonged state of anxiety and stress as the matter had not been resolved to date.
When I returned to Ghana in 2020 I had not been on blood pressure medication for at least 5 years. An ambulance had to take me into A&E mid March 2024 as my blood pressure could not be controlled in spite of medication.
I was disgraced and humiliated in the legal community and my pupilage was terminated. I have not been able to put the matter behind me and return to normalcy.
DESIRED OUTCOME
To sue :
1. the Government of Ghana (the law scholl runs under the Executive branch of government)
2. The Ghana School of Law
3. The Independent Exam Committee
4. The General Legal Council
5. Specific individuals
I feel the need to clear my name to get my life back to normal.
There are litany of causes of action arising including:
– Breach of my Human Rights/Privacy
– Freedom of expression- (labelled pro-gay in an extremely homophobic country) for stating the English law position on the public/private divide and warned never to speak that way again or will be failed in examinations
– Fraud / Falsification of public records
– Defamation/possibly libel
– Sexual Harassment by top officials (an appeals court judge, former president of the bar association among others).
– Falsification of my results on more than 4 counts in 2021
I would like to focus on restoring my reputation, and restitution/compensation.
I am seeking legal representation and while I have been advised that I would need to exhaust my legal options locally, it seems impossible because no lawyer has been able to represent me since attending the committee hearing.
Lawyers locally are hesitant to engage with me or get involved because of the powerful figures involved and potential professional repercussions. This has made representation difficult, if not impossible. This again demonstrates the lack of access to a fair legal process.
Given the significant hinderances in securing any effective legal representation within Ghana’s domestic legal system, I’m curious whether there might be alternative legal avenues on the international platform. Whist I understand the importance of respecting local legal procedures, the potential severity of the human rights violations here raises the question of the exhaustion of local remedies.
I instructed a top human rights lawyer in Ghana since September 2023 but to date he appears influenced by power or intimidated as he has yet to take any action. It appears to be a game to exhaust the statute of limitation period. Some lawyers have stated they fear for their lives because of the power players involved.
I am looking for a firm able to take this case on a contingency basis and to advocate on my behalf.