Gov’t treading on dangerous grounds over ‘Jake’s Bungalow’ – Ayikoi Otoo

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Created on Friday, 25 May 2012 00:00

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Gov’t treading on dangerous grounds over ‘Jake’s Bungalow’ – Ayikoi Otoo

Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo has described government’s decision not to sell the controversial bungalow No. 2 Mungo Street at the Ridge Residential area to his client, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, as “very regrettable and sad.”    

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According to Nii Otoo, who himself is a former Attorney General, “it is a very regrettable decision because we are rolling back the gains that we’ve made so far under the present Constitutional dispensation.”

The Supreme Court by a majority decision on Tuesday dismissed a case in which two deputy Ministers of State challenged the right of the NPP National Chairman, Obetsebi-Lamptey, to acquire a State bungalow he lived in as minister of tourism and chief of staff.

The NDC Government on Thursday released a statement titled Government will not sell property to Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, where it indicated categorically that this decision was taken after a cabinet meeting.

According to Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey’s lawyer, “Article 125 Clause 3 provides as follows, the judicial power of Ghana shall be vested in the judiciary, neither the President nor Parliament nor any organ or agency of the President shall have or be given final judicial power…”

He added: “What they are doing is treading on very dangerous grounds. It means that they are now arrogating to themselves the final judicial authority. The President of this country and his cabinet have sworn to uphold the Constitution of this land.”

“The President is not above the laws of this country, he is not above the Constitution of this country, he could even be removed from office for disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court,” Lawyer Otoo said.

Source: Citifmonline