GIMPA Law School wins maiden Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo moot court competition
The three-day competition had five law schools participating. They include the law schools of KNUST, UPSA, GIMPA, UCC and KUC
Law students who represented the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School have won the maiden edition of the (Chief Justice) Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo moot court competition which took place from Wednesday, 4 to Friday, 6 September 2024, at the Dr Daniel McKorley moot courtroom at GIMPA Law School.
The three-day competition had five law schools participating. They include the law schools of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Professional Studies (UPSA), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Kings University College (KUC).
GIMPA’s impressive team presented legal arguments in a session presided over by her ladyship Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, accruing 499 points at the end of the competition, while KNUST lost by just a point after securing 498 points. The preliminary sessions of the competition were held at the GB Auditorium and the final session at the Dr Daniel McKorley moot courtroom.
The panel, made up of Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, Justice Hafisata Amaleboba of the Koforidua Court of Appeal, and Justice John Mark Nuku Alifu of the Cape Coast High Court, tried the hypothetical suit of Kwabena Mullar vrs The Attorney General of The Republic of Ankor & The Republic of Ankor Vrs Marvel Azuto and Paul Badman.
The mooters representing the applicant and the respondents were to argue whether Kwabena Mullar could be extradited to the Republic of Bervia, whether Marvel Azuto was criminally liable for aiding and abetting the bank heist, and whether Paul Badman and all Clandestine Law Partners PRUC’s directors were criminally liable for aiding and abetting money laundering.
Awards
Amid the ecstatic and rapturous applause that erupted at Greenhill Campus’s GB Auditorium at the end of the contest, the winners were also awarded a cash prize of GHc10,000,00, a trophy, medals, packages from the sponsors, and books from Justice Yaw Oppong. The runner-up team from KNUST also received a cash prize of GHC5,000, medals, and books from Justice Yaw Oppong.
Outstanding mooters whose advocacy skills were noticeably remarkable were also awarded. GIMPA secured one award out of seven, 2nd Best Speaker Defense (Mr Kojo Quaye), co-counsel of the Plaintiff in the matter that was before the simulated court.
A mooter from UPSA, Kesse Yaw Junior, earned a stunning brace- overall best speaker and best defence speaker, receiving a one-month internship with B&P Associates, an Associate’s Diary, an International Comparative Legal Guide on ESG, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab A1 Plus.
KNUST, despite coming in second place, went for the treble: Best applicant memorial, best respondent oralist (Ms Emmanuella Afia Opoku), and overall best oralist. The University of Cape Coast managed to clinch one award: the best respondent applicant – runner-up (Ms Ashong Ewurabena Marble).
Mindful of technology
The Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, admonished the law faculties to incorporate consistent mooting in the legal study environment to equip the students with the practical skills for the proper application of theoretical study – a thread of thought with the full endorsement of the General Legal Council (GLC).
“There is a lot of theory in the schools and much less engagement in the physical mooting. As much as 1’m enjoying this competition and this outcome, I came here with a request to the universities that we should move the experience of school competitions and examinations to an everyday occurrence. The General Legal Council has to put pressure on you to incorporate the consistent discipline of moot court presentations in the universities,” the Chief Justice said.
Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo further addressed how legal principles should be applied in the evolving technological space that is pervading every facet of 21st-century life, even in the justice administration sector.
“We have to be able to apply the principles of e-learning, which is what we are entrusted with as the players of the law. Law students, and lawyers, have to apply these principles of e-learning in every context of life. I believe that academia is well-placed to assist in developing publications that will enrich the human spirit when things get cold.
“And so, the entire legal community, must not place electronic law or e-law within the premise of intellectual property law. But we must go on now, in every subject that we study, to have the context of how legal principles apply in those traditional doctrines,” she noted.
Gratitude to partners
The Dean of GIMPA Law School, and Acting Rector Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, expressed gratitude to all partners and contributors for their immense support to the success of the competition, laying much emphasis on the practical essence of the competition ensuring the benefit of the discipline.
“We recognise not only individual achievements but also the collective effort to promote legal excellence, critical thinking, and effective advocacy. We celebrate the spirit of competition, camaraderie, and sportsmanship that has characterized this maiden event,” he said.
“I would like to express my pride in the GIMPA Law School community for embracing this initiative. May this competition continue to inspire future generations of legal minds and foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and service to society.”
“The Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo Moot Court Competition began six months ago with 11 schools. Five presented written memorials, and four made it to the oral rounds, which eventually saw GIMPA edge KNUST out in the final by a point, an electrifying, nail-biting conclusion to a truly thrilling encounter,” Dr Agyeman-Budu added.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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