The Abuakwa South MP says he refused to take any payment
The case involved the launch of a book about Rawlings and Ghana's democracy
Leading Member of the New Patriotic Party, NPP, and Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea has revealed how he ended up as a lawyer for late President Jerry John Rawlings years ago.
The MP was speaking on the floor of Parliament last week as the lawmaking chamber eulogized the former president for his role in the Fourth Republican dispensation.
When he took his turn to speak on Rawlings’ impact on Ghana’s democracy, he revealed that the former President once contacted him for legal service despite their political differences.
The Abuakwa South MP said, Rawlings, has asked him of his charge to which he replied that no amount of fees will equal the magnitude of service that he had rendered to the country. He offered his services for free.
He furthered that when he was going for his primaries, Rawlings came through for him by offering monetary support and his political blessings, adding; “I won a landslide victory.”
“The example of this great man will help everybody to see what it takes to serve the nation,” Atta Akyea stressed.
The case in which Atta Akyea represented Rawlings
Rawlings had contacted the sitting MP over a book by a former Health Minister under the Rawlings government.
The former president went to court with regard to Professor Kwaku Danso Boafo’s book, parts of which Rawlings said he disagreed with.
According to Rawlings, the Professor had reneged on a promise to have him review and comment on the book titled: “JJ Rawlings and the Democratic Transition in Ghana,” before launching it.
He told an Accra Fast Track High Court that the professor had dropped him an invitation to the launch at a time he had yet to review the book.
In his defence, the author told the court that he has deposited a finished copy with the former president for over two years without getting any comments, thus his decision to launch the book in 2014.
Eventually, both parties agreed to an out-of-court settlement as reported by the Daily Guide newspaper.
TWI NEWS
