The General Legal Council (GLC) announced on Wednesday, October 18, 2023; that it had suspended the Call to the Bar application by Miss Elorm Ababio, alias Ama governor.
The lawyer-in-waiting will have to wait for another year to realise her dream of becoming a law professional despite having passed all her mandatory examinations as far back as 2022.
According to a letter sighted by GhanaWeb, dated 18 October 2023 and signed by Judicial Secretary, Justice Cyra Pamela C. A. Koranteng (JA); the decision to refuse her application was based on the Council's scrutiny of Ms. Elorm Ababio's conduct leading up to her application.
The said letter quickly went viral on social media platforms - Facebook and Twitter (now X) - as the media reported the incident and users weighed in on the issue.
This will be the third time Ama Governor has trended over issues relating to her Call to the Bar.
When she was barred initially in 2022 with the GLC citing a petition against her conduct online, the matter attracted lots of reactions and then earlier this year the Chief Justice made comments that suggested that she was referring to the incident from last year; that also got her trending after she fired an elaborate response to the CJ's views.
This latest round has not been significantly different. There is critique of her woes to the effect that she called it upon herself by her recent pronouncements about her sexuality and the outcome of te committee that heard the anonymous petition against her call last year.
There are others who are defending her right to be who she wants to be and the needlessness of the GLC's current position.
Aide to former president John Dramani Mahama, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has described as excessively high-handed the decision by the General Legal Council (GLC) to deny a second Call to the Bar application by Miss Elorm Ababio.
Reacting to a letter issued to Miss Ababio popularly known as Ama Governor in an X post, Kwakye Ofosu noted that the reason by the GLC to reject her application is untenable.
“The General Legal Council is being needlessly ultra-conservative and excessively high-handed in this matter. There is no earthly reason for standing in the way of this young lady and a call to the Bar at this moment,” he posted.
"GLC should stop the persecution of Ama Governor. It has no power to monitor her and to deny her a place at the Bar," Prof Kwaku Azar, a lawyer and academic based in the US posted on Facebook.
TWI NEWS
In a previous letter dated 13 March 2023, the General Legal Council had outlined their intent to observe her conduct during this period.
Following a meeting held on Tuesday, 17 October 2023 the General Legal Council resolved that Ms. Elorm Ababio's application should be declined due to certain elements noted in her public conduct prior to the submission of her application.
The Council reached two decisions:
Ms. Elorm Ababio is permitted to complete the necessary forms for application to be Called to the Bar at any point in time after the 20 October 2023 event.
In the interim, the General Legal Council will continue to monitor Ms. Elorm Ababio's conduct.
BACKGROUND
In 2022, despite completing all necessary requirements, Ama governor was denied call to the Bar after the council said it had received a complaint which described Ama Governor engaging in “conduct unbecoming of an applicant to be called to the Bar”
The decision led to public outcry both on and off social media with many questioning the basis for such a decision while others commended the General Legal Council for its decisions.
Ama Governor herself denied engaging in any offensive behaviour or inappropriate communications. She maintained that she has not been informed of any specific instances of misconduct and feels she was treated unfairly.
However, in September 2023, a report by the General Legal Council at the 2022/2023 bar conference indicated that the complaint was considered by a committee and that she had been permitted to begin applications to be called to the Bar for the October/November 2023 sessions.
SARA
Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.
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