Court of Appeal to seek Chief Justice's warrant to sit during vacation for Tamakloe stay of execution ruling

The Court of Appeal will seek approval from the Chief Justice to sit during the legal vacation period to determine the Attorney-General's urgent application for a stay of execution in the case involving former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu. The application, filed on Thursday, July 30, seeks to suspend the effect of the Court of Appeal's decision that acquitted and discharged Madam Tamakloe Attionu, pending the determination of the state's appeal at the Supreme Court.

The court's regular sitting schedule enters the legal vacation period, which begins on August 1 and ends on September 30. Under relevant court rules, including Order 79 Rule 4 of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules, C.I. 47, courts generally observe a vacation period during which regular hearings are limited. The Chief Justice has the authority to allow courts to sit during this period where circumstances require, usually through a special fiat. The Attorney-General's stay application was filed by Principal State Attorney Hilda W. Craig and is supported by an affidavit sworn by Assistant State Attorney Andrew Owusu-Agyemang. The state argues that the Court of Appeal's judgment resulted in a "substantial miscarriage of justice" due to alleged errors of law and fact.