Chief Justice rejects bid to halt Adu-Boahen, Abdul-Wahab cases during legal vacation

Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie rejected calls by lawyers for Kwabena Adu-Boahen and Hanan Abdul-Wahab to defer their cases until after the legal vacation. Speaking at the 2nd Quadrennial Delegates Congress of the Senior Staff Association of the Judicial Service on Tuesday, August 11, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie stated that "decisions on adjournments were matters for the courts and could not be treated as administrative issues subject to the legal vacation." The cases will continue during the vacation period, with proceedings adjourned to August 18 for further case management.

Lawyers, including former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame and Samuel Atta Akyea, had petitioned the Chief Justice to reconsider a warrant authorizing judges to sit during the legal vacation. They cited prior commitments by defence team members and requested adjournment until October. The defence teams, led by Mr. Dame for Abdul-Wahab and Mr. Akyea for Adu-Boahen, argued that scheduling cases during vacation was inconsistent with long-standing judicial practice and Superior Courts' sitting rules. Some defence team members had travelled outside the country and made prior commitments before the decision to continue proceedings was taken.