‘There is no emergency’ – Godfred Dame criticises vacation hearing in Abdul-Hamid case

Former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has spoken out against the court's decision to hear proceedings for a Hanan Abdul-Hamid case during the legal vacation, arguing that there is no pressing need to schedule a trial during this period. When questioned about the court's rationale for the vacation hearing, Mr Dame pointed out that such an occurrence has never happened before and questioned the urgency of the matter.

He emphasized that throughout his legal career, courts generally only sit during the vacation for urgent election-related cases, such as in 2012 when the Supreme Court heard an application for an interlocutory injunction during the vacation due to the proximity of the general election. However, he noted that the substantive case was subsequently postponed until October.

Mr Dame further criticized the lack of consent from the parties involved in scheduling the hearing without their approval. He stated that he would have formally petitioned the courts to expedite the case during his time as Attorney General, rather than proceeding with the trial during the legal vacation without consulting the parties.

The former Attorney General defended the decision to uphold judicial traditions and established conventions, stating that fairness should be maintained by applying consistent rules to all individuals involved in legal proceedings. The criticism comes as the Accra High Court has suspended proceedings in a criminal trial for Hanan Abdul-Wahab and her husband, Faiza Seidu Wuni, pending the Supreme Court's ruling on vacation sittings.

This suspension follows a legal challenge by defence lawyers against the Chief Justice's directive permitting certain criminal trials to proceed during the judiciary's legal vacation, arguing that the directive deviates from established court practice and is inconsistent with the Constitution.