Godfred Dame, the Attorney General and Minister-designate for Justice has received the backing of former Attorney General Joe Ghartey to succeed in his new role.
Dame was on Friday, February 12, 2021 vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
If confirmed, he will be elevated to the new role of Attorney General, having served as a deputy to Gloria Akuffo in the first term of President Akufo-Addo.
In a social media post, Joe Ghartey recounted his first encounter with the then ‘young, dynamic and vibrant’ lawyer in 2006.
Joe Ghartey is impressed by the progress Dame has made since that meeting and has commended him for turning out to be great lawyer.
He started “on June 15th 2006, a young, dynamic and vibrant lawyer came to my Office. He came to my Office as a private practitioner to discuss a case in which he wanted to serve a subpoena on me, in my official capacity, to testify. That case was Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings vrs. Ato Sam and Western Publications Limited (Publishers of the Daily Guide newspaper). He was counsel for defendants.
Joe Ghartey continued “I violently refused. We had an argument. Indeed, it was quite a confrontation. At the end of it all I said to him; “one day you will be the Attorney General. You will occupy this Office”. He said “you are speaking from the Deputy Attorney General’s Office”. I said “but I am the Attorney General designate and you will occupy both positions”. I had been vetted for Attorney General and approved by Parliament but had not been sworn in by President Kufour. As such I was still in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.
I subsequently gathered that, notwithstanding my refusal to testify on subpoena, the defendants won the case. I met the young lawyer one day and I asked him whether he saw wisdom in my refusal to testify. He admitted that he did”.
That young lawyer was Godfred Dame, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice designate. Today, 5 Attorney Generals since my tenure as Attorney General ended on January 6th, 2009, my “prophecy“ has come to pass, and my heart is gladdeneed. Godfred has been Deputy Attorney General for 4 years and it is my prayer that he will be Attorney General for at least 4 years. I was Deputy Attorney General for a year from 2005 to 2006 and then the Attorney General from 2006 to January 2009. Like me, he has progressed from Deputy Attorney General to Attorney General and it holds immense advantages. I was sworn in on June 16th 2006. Godfred came to the Ministry of Justice on June 15th 2006” he stated in the long piece .
On Dame’s new role, Joe Ghartey says he has absolute trust and confidence in him to deliver.
He sent him goodwill messages and asked God to be his guide and make his tenure a successful one.
“I wish him well and I have no doubt that he will succeed. I have no doubt that his temperament, disposition, industry and faith in God will spur him on to great heights. I am also exceptionally pleased that as the 19th Attorney General, what I prophesied on the 15th of June, 2006 has come to pass which would make him the 25th Attorney General of the Republic of Ghana. It reminds us of Habakkuk 2: 2-3 which says, “… Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets … Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come”, he noted
Godfred Dame (right) with former Attorney General Joe Ghartey