The Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, questioned Tsatsu Tsikata in court on Friday (14 July 2023) about why he was bothered by the AG not announcing himself in court, when he, Tsatsu Tsikata, is noted for deliberately refusing to mention his own name in any court where he appears.
During proceedings at the high court in the case of the Republic versus James Gyakye Quayson, the deputy attorney general Alfred Tuah-Yeboah was first to arrive and announced that he was in court holding the brief of the Attorney General.
Just after Tsikata had finished his submission requesting the court to stay proceedings because he has filed an application at the Court of Appeal challenging the high court decision to dismiss his application for stay of proceedings, as well as an application for judicial review at the Supreme Court seeking to quash the high court ruling, the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, arrived in court.
Upon arrival, Dame straight away opposed the application by Tsikata. He prayed the court that there were no tangible grounds in Tsikata’s request for the court to stay proceedings because of the pendency of the two applications filed at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Dame argued that there is no provision in any of the statutes of Ghana, rules of practice and decided cases that enjoins the court to stay proceedings simply because those two applications had been filed.
Dame added that it is not surprising that, throughout his argument, Tsikata had not cited a single authority in support of his submissions, because there was none.
The Attorney General thus invited the court, presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, to dismiss the applications and to order the trial to take its natural course. The trial is at the stage where the state has called its first prosecution witness who is under cross-examination by Tsikata.
Tsikata’s concern
After the learned AG’s opposition to Tsikata’s application, Tsikata stood up in open court and remarked that the AG had not announced himself in court but had gone ahead to address the court.
He added that that is not the normal practice and said it was his hope that the court would not entertain such conduct.
At this point, the trial judge told Tsikata that she could see Dame’s name already captured on the screen and, therefore, Tsikata’s objection was moot.
Dame’s jab
Godfred Dame then stood up and said he was surprised that Tsatsu Tsikata was complaining about the issue of a counsel announcing his presence in the proper way.
Tsatsu Tsikata, Dame sad, is noted for never mentioning his name in court, which is a gross violation of the rules.
The AG further observed that the record had indeed captured his presence and noted same on the screens before all the lawyers, as the trial judge had noted.
So, Dame said, there was no real issue warranting the complaint by Tsikata.
Court gives directions
Justice Yanzuh took exception to Tsikata’s reply to the Attorney General’s response and admonished him to be mindful of his language when addressing the court.
After these exchanges, the judge ruled that the application asking her to stay proceedings because of a case pending at the Court of Appeal cannot be right, because there is no law that enjoins her to stay proceedings simply because of the pendency of a motion for stay of proceedings in the Court of Appeal.
On the application for judicial review pending at the Supreme Court, the court said it will adjourn its ruling to Tuesday 18 July 2023.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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