Cambridge’s letter on Barker-Vormawor exposed our liberal fundamentals – Kwaku Asare

US-based Ghanaian law professor and private legal practitioner, Kwaku Asare has said the letter from the University of Cambridge demanding that the Ghanaian Authorities give #FixTheCountry convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor a fair trial has exposed the loopholes in the country’s liberal fundamentals.

According to the private legal practitioner, the letter from Cambridge did not only expose the flaws in the country’s justice system but also the illiberality of the various institutions operating in it.

The legal practitioner also stressed that the letter from Cambridge has highlighted the growing culture of silence among the various institutions in the country, despite democracy.

In a Facebook post on Friday, 18 March 2022, the private legal practitioner said: “Cambridge spoke and in doing so exposed not just our justice system, but more important our legal profession, GBA, law faculties, professional association, NUGS, TUC, Nananom, Yaanom, etc.”

He noted that: “We may have gotten rid of the PDA, one party state, military regimes, etc. but our institutions retain their illiberal character and we have not developed effective antidotes to match that character.”

“Cambridge has put us to utter shame and exposed our liberal fundamentals. We may be operating under a Constitution but it has not been able to curtail the spirit of Akoto.”

The University of Cambridge has said its students and staff “remain deeply concerned about the wellbeing of Oliver Barker-Vormawor”, one of the school’s PhD students, who was arrested on 11 February at Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport and subsequently charged with treason felony.

Mr Barker-Vormawor was recently granted bail after having been detained for more than a month in connection with a coup threat on social media.

A statement issued by the university said: “Oliver’s legal team in Ghana have warned that there have been breaches of due process in his treatment”, adding: “This has been confirmed by other independent sources”.

The university said its Vice-Chancellor has written to the Ghanaian authorities “to express his concern for Oliver’s welfare, requesting that the rule of law be applied and that Oliver be granted access to a fair trial”.

The university said it is “closely monitoring developments”.