499 Law Students: Parliament has no authority over GLC to admit students – Hon Joseph Appiah

Former MP for Ablekuma, Hon Joe Appiah has said that parliament has no business in the Ghana School of Law and there is no reason to order the General Legal Council to admit some 499 law students who were denied admission into the Ghana School of Law despite attaining the 50 per cent pass mark.

Parliament on Friday passed a resolution for the General Legal Council to compel the Ghana Law School to admit the 499 students who have been denied admission.

But in a statement to Parliament on Monday, November 1, the Attorney General, Godfred Dame said Parliament is “devoid of the power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law.

The mode of exercising legislative power enshrined in article 106 of the Constitution does not admit resolutions.” “In accordance with section 13(1)(e) and (f) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), the power to regulate the admission of students to pursue courses of instruction leading to qualification as lawyers and to hold examinations which may include preliminary, intermediate and final examinations has been vested in the General Legal Council.

It is correct that section 1(5) of Act 32 stipulates thus: “The Council shall in the performance of their functions comply with any general directions given by the Minister’. In my respectful opinion, this provision underscores the capacity of the Executive, not the Legislature, through the Minister responsible for the General Legal Council, i.e. the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, to direct and advise the Council on major matters of national importance.”

Following this statement, Hon. Joseph Appiah says what needs to be done is to try to fix a place for these students and a double-track system should be implemented. He said ” the system needs more lawyers to govern the state”

According to him, the Attorney Generals Department lacks adequate lawyers hence there is the need to have more lawyers in the country.

He added that ”parliament needs to be extra careful else if care is not taken and these people refuse to back to study it will bring issues to the country” since there won’t be adequate lawyers in the system he stressed on.

Source: Kessbenonline.com/ Eunice Odai