Oppong Nkrumah Hints at Review After Supreme Court Dismisses Bid to Halt Criminal Trials

Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has hinted at seeking a review of the Supreme Court’s decision dismissing his application to halt selected criminal trials during the legal vacation.

Justice Gabriel Pwamang, sitting as a single judge of the Supreme Court, dismissed Mr Oppong Nkrumah’s interlocutory injunction application on Friday, August 21.

The application sought to stop selected criminal trials from proceeding during the legal vacation, which runs from August 1 to September 30.

Oppong Nkrumah said the court made what he described as “very interesting pronouncements” in its ruling, including an observation that some cases had been treated differently during the legal vacation.

Speaking to journalists after Friday’s proceedings, he said the legal team would first study the certified true copy of the ruling before deciding on the next course of action.

“So, the court has dismissed our injunction application. But in the ruling, some very interesting pronouncements have been made. For the first time, the court has admitted that some cases have been treated differently. Those are the words of the judge,” he said.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the judge acknowledged that certain cases had been treated differently and expedited during the legal vacation.

He said the judge, however, concluded that the differential treatment did not amount to a violation of the constitutional provisions relied on in the case.

“He doesn’t say so. But then he proceeds to say that in his opinion that will not amount to a violation of the constitutional articles that we have raised in this particular matter. And that he thinks that that will even be in the interest of the accused persons,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.

The MP said the legal team had requested a certified true copy of the ruling to enable them to examine the court’s reasoning in detail.

“We’ve asked for a certified copy so that we can peruse it some more and then on the advice of counsel we’ll take the next steps,” he said.

Asked whether he was considering an application for review, Mr Oppong Nkrumah responded: “Very much so, very much so, but we’ll consider it.”

He then referred the matter to his lawyer, Frank Davies, for further comment.

Earlier, Mr Davies said the legal team accepted the court’s decision and would study the full written ruling before advising their client.

“We will abide by the ruling of the court for now,” he said.

Mr Davies said the lawyers would examine the certified copy of the judgment before determining what further legal action, if any, should be taken.

The dismissal means the affected trials can continue while the substantive suit challenging the constitutionality of the Chief Justice’s administrative warrants remains pending.

The cases include the trial of former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, as well as former NAFCO Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab, among others.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah is expected to make a decision on a possible review after studying the certified true copy of Friday’s ruling with his legal team.