By Yaw Opoku Amoako
Copyright ghanaguardian
Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine has urged professional and legal bodies in Ghana to resist the temptation of inviting foreign influence into the country’s constitutional and judicial affairs.
Addressing the Ghana Bar Association’s Annual Conference in Wa on Monday, September 15, Dr. Ayine acknowledged that international collaboration can strengthen professional standards, but stressed that such relationships must not extend to constitutional politics.
“We should desist from the temptation of inviting foreign interference in our internal constitutional processes,” he said. “As a professional body, there is absolutely nothing wrong with forming relationships with like-minded foreign associations. Such relationships are necessary for cross-fertilization of ideas on professional matters such as standards. That is where it should end.”
Dr. Ayine’s remarks come in response to interventions by the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, which recently urged President John Dramani Mahama to reconsider the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
In a joint statement dated August 14, the two bodies highlighted Ghana’s strong tradition of rule of law and called for the Chief Justice’s immediate reinstatement.
By emphasizing Ghana’s sovereign authority, Dr. Ayine reiterated the government’s position that while global partnerships are welcome in strengthening legal practice, the country’s constitutional processes must remain the sole preserve of Ghanaians.
