Lawyers for a private legal practitioner, James Abiaduka, have filed an appeal at the Appeal Court to overturn a two-year suspension slapped on him by the General Legal Council.
The Council, in a letter dated April 7 this year, suspended the lawyer over claims of “falsely representing to his clients that he was James Agalga [the Member of Parliament for Builsa North and Deputy Attorney General] when he knew that the said statement was patently false.”
“During the period of suspension, he shall not hold himself out as a legal practitioner or attend chambers or render or purport to render any professional legal service to any person whatsoever. The licence of Mr Abiaduka to practise for the legal year is hereby withdrawn forthwith,” it stated.
According to the letter signed by Justice Alex B. Opoku Acheampong, Abiaduka was formally charged under Rule 9(7) of the legal profession code of conduct and etiquette rules of 1969.
Grounds Of Appeal
Unsatisfied with the position of the Council, Kweku Y. Paintsil of Paintsil, Paintsil and Co. Law Firm dashed to the court to seek the reversal of and/or setting aside of the decision of the General Legal Council.
He noted that the decision was against the weight of evidence adduced at the hearing.
Abiaduka’s lawyer stated that the finding of fact by the General Legal Council that the appellant falsely represented himself as James Agalga was not supported by any evidence and that the same was perverse.
Paintsil further argued that the finding of fact that the appellant represented to his clients that he was James Agalga was not supported by any evidence on record, adding that the “Council failed to give the appellant a fair or proper hearing, contrary to Article 23 of the 1992 Constitution.
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