• Law students sue Ghana Legal Council
• Maurice Ampaw insists only court can determine outcome of GLC, law students case
Private legal practitioner, Maurice Ampaw has said parliament has no right to direct Ghana Legal Council (GLC) to take any action in the legal tussle between law students and the council.
According to him, parliament can only appeal or recommend to the council and not order them.
He said the duties of the legal council are higher than that of the parliamentarians and it therefore cannot be undermined.
His comment is at the back of parliament passing a resolution for the GLC to admit 499 law students.
Parliament passed a resolution for GLC to compel the Ghana Law School to admit the 499 students who sat for the 2021 entrance exams and passed in accordance to the marking scheme as advertised.
This follows a motion moved by deputy minority whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, fine-tuned by the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu and repeated by Effutu MP and deputy majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
Speaking on the matter, on ‘Ade Akye Abia’ on Okay FM, Maurice Ampaw said the GLC can ignore these directives as the matter is currently before the court.
“…listen to me, you can’t direct the General Legal Council, you can recommend, you can appeal to them. The matter you are giving directives to is in court, the GLC can ignore it. They can be citing them for contempt and they will now their levels. Don’t you know justices make law and they can’t be pushed around? Most the lawyers are political lawyers, they don’t go to court and they become rusty.” He said.
He also explained that it was disrespectful for Afenyo-Markin to say GLC has made studying law unattractive.
“…If Afenyo-Markin knows the law, he should know he doesn’t know the law more than the Chief Justice. That issue is a matter the court of law should determine and not parliament. You (Parliament) cannot take the work of the judges, parliamentarians, you are not the court,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 499 students who were denied entrance into the Ghana Law School are in court challenging the decision.
They argue that they passed in accordance with the marking scheme as advertised but have been denied entrance to the law school.
Maurice Ampaw, Private Legal Practitioner