My Law Certificate Is Missing – Akufo-Addo

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2012 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in an attempt to defend himself against the claim by retired Justice Francis Yaonasu Kpegah that he was not called to the Ghana Bar, has produced an October 15, 2007 letter, which basically says his qualifying and enrollment certificate cannot be found.
The letter, which was signed by E. Bart-Plange Brew, acting Administrative Secretary of the Ghana General Legal Council, stated that “I have been informed of the loss of Mr Williams Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s qualifying and enrollment certificate”.
According to the October 2007 letter, even though Nana Addo’s qualifying and enrollment certificate was missing, he, Mr Brew could still certify that Mr Williams Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was enrolled and called to the Ghana Bar at a meeting of the General Legal Council held at the Supreme Court on Tuesday 8th July 1975.
Meanwhile, insiders have questioned the locus of the acting Administrative Secretary for signing such a letter.
“Nana Addo should have applied to the General Legal Council and informed of the loss of his qualifying enrollment certificate following which they could have caused an extensive investigation, and depending on the findings of the investigation, the General Legal council could have either authorized his name to be added to the Roll of Lawyers or deleted from the Roll of Lawyers,” an insider said.
A legal source also questions Mr Brew’s October 15 letter, saying “How can a man who claims ignorance of the whereabouts of Nana Addo’s qualifying and enrollment certificate still say that he could certify that he was a qualified lawyer?”
“No individual can usurp the powers of the General Legal Council, the letter should have been signed by the Secretary of the General Legal Council and no other individual,” the source said.
Observers say that they suspect the October 15, 20007 letter, which Nana Addo presented was procured in response to allegations by the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, who had asserted, in run-up to the 2008 elections, that Nana Addo was not a lawyer.
Five years after Nana Konadu’s claim, it is interesting that similar allegations of doubts of him being a lawyer have yet been leveled against him.
It would be recalled that retired Justice Francis Yaonasu kpegah recently dragged Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to an Accra High Court accusing him of impersonation.
The former Supreme Court judge is suing the Nana Addo for holding himself out as a lawyer when evidence available to him from sources such as the General Legal Council proves otherwise.The write filed on March 18, 2013 also indicted former President Kufuor for appointing Nana Akufo Addo as Attorney-General who doubled as the leader of the Ghana Bar Association.
In his statement of claim, Justice Kpegah said he became suspicious of Nana Akufo Addo because his name was not on the roll of lawyers in Ghana and yet he as being given audience in the courts.
He further stated that when he caused a discreet investigation to be conducted, it was revealed that Nana Akufo Addo was never called to the Ghana Bar but “rather one W.E.D Akufo-Addo – who was called to the Middle Temple in the United Kingdom on the 22nd of July, 1971 and on the roll of lawyers in Ghana as No. 1190. Justice Kpegah claimed it was illegal for former President Kufuor to have appointed Nana Addo as the Attorney-General since the latter, in Kpegah’s view, was not a “lawyer in good standing”.
According to him, “Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is impersonation W.A.D Akufo Addo who is on the roll of lawyers as No. 1190. The plaintiff finally avers that there is no lawyer in Ghana worth his salt who can say that because you are called to the English Bar you can automatically practice in Ghana without being called to the Ghana Bar,” Justice Kpegah stated in his writ.
 
Source: The Enquirer