Former A-G Godfred Dame vows to skip legal vacation hearings

Former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame has vehemently opposed the practice of scheduling legal hearings during the annual legal vacation without all parties agreeing to it. Speaking to journalists after a Monday, August 17, 2026 proceeding, the former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, attorney, questioned the court's ability to fix trials during the statutory recess.

"How can you just fix a trial in the vacation without the consent of the parties? Was it pursuant to the request from the Attorney General?" he asked.

Dame argued that compelling defense attorneys and their clients to participate in court during the legal vacation violates established judicial norms and compromises fairness within the legal system. He firmly stated that one set of rules should not apply to some while others face different rules. Reflecting on his extensive legal career, he noted that compelling litigants to attend court during the vacation is unprecedented and should not continue. There was no urgency in scheduling trials during this period, according to Dame.

Dame appeared in court on Monday to address interlocutory applications and explain why proceedings filed earlier should not be halted pending a motion at the Court of Appeal. However, he made it clear that he will not attend any substantive trial proceedings during the legal vacation. "I'm not going to be available," he affirmed, adhering to his long-held stance that trials should only occur with mutual agreement between parties.

He concluded by labeling the decision to proceed during the recess as inappropriate and warning that it has caused unnecessary controversy within the judicial system.