Supreme Court dismisses Kojo Oppong Nkrumah’s application seeking to halt legal vacation trials

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by Member of Parliament Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to halt specific criminal trials during a legal vacation period. The case involves Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie's administrative warrants directing certain High Court judges to continue hearing criminal cases during the vacation, which runs from August 1 to September 30.

Oppong Nkrumah argues that the directive violates constitutional provisions, including Articles 17(1), (2), and 296(a) and (b), due to its selectivity and potential for selective justice. He contends that allowing trials to proceed could undermine the right to legal representation if defendants are unable to secure counsel during the ongoing proceedings.

During the court proceedings, Oppong Nkrumah's legal counsel, Frank Davies, argued that denying the injunction could cause irreparable harm to accused individuals, as the right to legal representation is beyond monetary compensation. However, the Deputy Attorney-General opposed the application, asserting that the applicant had not met the requirements for an interlocutory injunction.

The court ruled that the Chief Justice had been properly served with the court documents and authorized legal representation, maintaining that the appropriate remedy for dissatisfaction with a trial judge's decision lies in a separate application for certiorari, not an invocation of the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction.