Akufo-Addo to sue Justice Kpegah for defamation? (Part II)

Sunday, April 21, 2013

We move on further to examine the intricacies of the other documents filed by Akufo-Addo and his lawyer, Godfred Yeboah Dame. We do so because of the numerous red flags raised in several parts of these documents to suggest that something isn’t adding up well.

Discrepancy in contents of documents from the Middle Temple

The document from the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple (labelled as Exhibit “NADA 1”) seems to be based on the information contained in the extract. This typescripted document has no signature of the issuing official of the Middle Temple and is similar to the one that Akufo-Addo had attached to his motion for the dismissal of the suit before filing this supplementary affidavit.

The contents of the extract from the Middle Temple and the “official” note given the William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are not fully compatible.

Akufo-Addo to sue Justice Kpegah for defamation? (Part I)

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Reading the news report that Akufo-Addo “may sue” Justice Kpegah for defamation (see http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201304/104760.php) has made me wonder whether such a threat will ever materialize. If it does, it will definitely be an interesting reversal of fate. In suing Akufo-Addo for impersonation, Justice Kpegah has asked for certain reliefs aimed at reducing Akufo-Addo to rubble. So clearly forewarned—and mindful of the implications—Akufo-Addo has forearmed himself.

I am compelled to come out with this opinion piece because of the news report that Myjoyonline published to suggest that the General Legal Council had authenticated Akufo-Addo’s claim with “a certified true copy of extract from Roll Books.”

Myjoyonline did a shoddy job on this matter, which I want to tackle and lay bare the aspects that its reporter failed to analyze to set the records right. If that reporter didn’t have access to the documents filed by Akufo-Addo’s lawyer as “supplementary affidavits,” I do. 

And my analysis will reveal the intricacies to prove that the General Legal Council’s so-called “certified true copy of extract from Roll Books” is nothing but an appropriation of a handwritten document issuing forth from the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. The General Legal Council didn’t give Akufo-Addo its own bona fide “certified true copy of extract from Roll Books” because it didn’t have any to give him!!

Justice Kpegah beckons and Akufo-Addo braces up

Friday, April 19, 2013

Akufo-Addo’s filing of a supplementary affidavit at the High Court concerning the law suit brought against him by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice F. Y. Kpegah challenging his qualification as a lawyer is no laughing matter as we have insisted all along.

Contrary to what his followers insulting us may believe, the suit has substance and will definitely add to the woes nagging Akufo-Addo, sending him into a tail-spin and an excursion into the religious realm. We have been informed of his encounter with about 300 graduates of Junior High Schools at an all-night prayer session. What for?

The problems facing him are not meant for God to solve. They are mundane issues to be solved with good arguments, concrete evidence, and self-confidence, not a flight into sentimentalism and the transcendental. Heaven helps those who help themselves.

Akufo-Addo’s supplementary Affidavits: Matters arising

Friday, April 19, 2013

I continue my discussion of the suit brought against Akufo-Addo by Justice Kpegah with a simple question: If the Kpegah case is dead on arrival, why should Akufo-Addo not be at ease but scramble for “extracts” and not certified copies of his certificates to file as supplementary affidavits?

There must be something really nerve-wracking happening in the rat hole!

Kpegah’s suit dismissed, Akufo-Addo wins Pyrrhic victory!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

As we inch gradually toward April 23 for the first hearing of Justice Kpegah’s suit of impersonation against Akufo-Addo, opinions remain divided on the substance of the suit.

Akufo-Addo, his lawyers, and followers are optimistic that the suit will be dismissed outright because it lacks substance. On the other hand, those critical of Akufo-Addo’s professional stature think that he has questions to answer and will be disappointed if the case doesn’t go the whole hog for them to know who and what exactly Akufo-Addo is.

These critics of Akufo-Addo remain unconvinced of his calling and repeatedly say that he is not a qualified lawyer just because they haven’t been told where he had his training in law. Not even the confirmation of the listing of William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as being called to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple will make them change their minds. 

They may be right because there are questions on pupillage and other requirements for one to be certified as a lawyer, even after having being called into the Middle Temple. Such questions haven’t yet been answered.

Akufo-Addo: The lawyer behind a lawyer

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Having gone thus far in unpacking the implications of Justice Kpegah’s suit against Akufo-Addo, we are at the point where we want to clarify issues to help those following us keenly understand more clearly what is at stake.

Some have misconstrued issues and thought that we were out to doom Akufo-Addo for whatever motives best known to us. I disagree strongly and urge them to see what we do as a public education effort. We are keenly pursuing this matter not because we are wicked, mischievous, tribalistic, or plain insensitive to the feelings of Akufo-Addo. Far from that.

For one thing, it must be stated that Akufo-Addo is well-accomplished, having served in various capacities and now fighting tooth-and-nail to be Ghana’s President. Thus, this suit provides us the opportunity to do all we can to settle all doubts about his integrity. And we will continue to do so till the dust settles for us all to know him as he is and be comfortable knowing him. Probably, Kofi Coomson of the Ghanaian Chronicle will revise his notes after all is done.

We are pursuing the matter in the interest of public conscience and service to society and Akufo-Addo himself. That is why we have been picking the issues apart from several perspectives and discussing for all that they entail. We have also kept updating our findings and their implications as such.

When Akufo Addo is “called to the bar” twice in 2007…

Saturday, April 13, 2013

The opinion piece by Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK, entitled “Mr. William Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo was called to the English Bar” confirms the extent to which public-spirited people are unpacking the controversy surrounding the professional stature of the NPP’s Akufo-Addo within the context of Justice Kpegah’s suit against him for impersonation. (See Ghanaweb.com: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=270869)

The writer frontloaded this conclusive statement: “I can confirm on authority that Middle Temple in the UK has confirmed to me in an e-mail that, Mr. William Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo was called to the English Bar on 22 July 1971.”

He moved on to base his affirmation on tentative responses that he had received from a Mr. Richard Chapman and a junior staff member at Middle Temple whose name he claimed he was advised not to disclose. And he kept that promise.

At this point, it is important to reiterate the fundamental claim that many of us who have been keenly monitoring the situation and investigating the issue have made. We have no qualms about Akufo-Addo’s claim that he was called to the English Bar in July 1971 or that he had worked with the now defunct Courdet Freres law firm in Paris thereafter till 1975.

What is Justice Kpegah’s motive for suing Akufo-Addo?

Friday, April 12, 2013

Retired Supreme Court Justice Francis Kpegah’s legal action against the NPP’s Akufo-Addo at the Fast Track Division of the High Court will begin being heard on April 23, barring any hitch.

The Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim, and the Application, Request to Admit Fact, under Order 23, r 2(1) of the C.I.47, and the reliefs found on the writ of summons are clear on what Justice Kpegah is challenging Akufo-Addo on (for impersonating one W.A.D. Akufo-Addo, who is on the Roll of Lawyers as number 1190, among others).

And Akufo-Addo has already admitted that he is that William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, paving the way for the motive behind Justice Kpegah's suit to be revealed when the case opens.

The Truth is… Akufo-Addo said he lost his Law Certificates

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

My good friends, if you have been wondering why Akufo-Addo wants Justice Kpegah’s suit against him to be struck out, you need to go beyond the technicalities behind which he is framing his defence. The truth is that Akufo claims he has lost his law certificates.

If Akufo-Addo didn’t say that he had lost his certificates, why did Bart-Plange (Acting Administrative Secretary of the General Legal Council who signed the NOTE for him to confirm his enrollment into the Ghana Bar on Tuesday, October 16, 2007) say in paragraph 2 of that NOTE that “I have been informed of the loss of MR. WILLIAM ADDO-DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO’S Qualifying and Enrolment certificates. This note, therefore, serves to confirm his enrolment”?

And that was as far back as 2007. If Akufo-Addo hadn’t informed E. Bart-Plange about the loss of his certificates, how would he have known on his own to say so in the NOTE that he signed? And why did Bart-Plange go ahead to confirm Akufo-Addo’s enrolment without any confirmation from official records? And should it have been a mere NOTE to be given to Akufo-Addo or a duplicate certificate as is usual in all cases?

Akufo-Addo’s fear, then, is that if the case is heard, he will be found wanting because the documentary evidence to authenticate his claim of having attended a law-training institution and being called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971 and the Ghana Bar cannot be provided. It is an undeniable fact, a terrifying moment of truth awaiting him.

Can the NPP fly without wings?

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Election 2012 has indeed exposed the underbelly of the NPP. A careful analysis of the situation reveals why the party’s leaders are so traumatized by their defeat and are expending energy hyping the sentiments of their followers, all in a vain attempt at forcing a river to flow upstream. I mock them.

They may not be shouting their odious “All-die-be-die” mantra anymore but they are finding it difficult to control the spirit behind that vain slogan. Hiding behind a so-called legal smokescreen, they are doing things and making inflammatory statements in pursuit of that agenda to make the country ungovernable. Behind the mask is the man, not so?

As part of their grand agenda, they have resorted to many rhetorical antics and theatricals that are better appreciated for their comic relief than any meaningful impact that they are meant to have on the political dynamics shaping our national life in this post-Election 2012 season.

Akufo-Addo wants Justice Kpegah punished but…

Monday, April 8, 2013

Folks, I know very well how uncomfortable some people are that I continue to write on the suit brought against Akufo-Addo by Justice Kpegah. Comments from them and e-mail messages attacking my personality instead of raising issues to help us all find the missing link in Akufo-Addo’s life between 1067 and June 1971 won’t intimidate me at all to stop writing on the matter.

Some have accused me of turning away from current national problems concerning electricity, water, industrial actions by public sector workers, and many more to be fixated on this Akufo-Addo issue. Others simply conclude that I am doing so because I hate him and that I am jealous of him.

None of the above, my good friends. Whether by his own design or accident, Akufo-Addo has positioned himself in the public sphere and cannot be glossed over, especially in a serious case of impersonation brought against him by a retired Supreme Court judge. Don’t tell me that Justice Kpegah is too senile to know what he is doing. Or that he has lost his bearings.

The military to rescue Ghana’s democracy? (Part II)

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Obviously, because tribalism is at the forefront, anybody who makes the mistake to initiate any action to challenge the status quo will be catalyzing a process with very disastrous consequences.

Let me be blunt to say at this point that Captain Koomson’s utterance is dangerous for all that it is, even if I regard it as insightful.

The point is that any talk of a coup d’état is nothing but a suggestion for a civil war. I must clarify this claim and support it for you to see things beyond your nose, dear reader.

Because ethnicity is a major factor in the kind of politics now going on in the country, who will be that capricious and foolhardy soldier to pick up his gun to fire the first shot? Will he be an Ewe, a Ga, an Asante, a Frafra, a Konkomba, a Dagbani, or a Gonja, just to mention a few of the over 100 ethnic groups constituting Ghana?   

The military to rescue Ghana’s democracy? (Part I)

Saturday, April 6, 2013

A retired officer of the Ghana Armed Forces, Captain Budu Koomson, is reported to have believed that “prevailing conditions in the country make the staging of a coup d’état imminent” because of “the blatant abuse of state wealth by political operatives” and “the political stalemate in the society.” (See: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=269949).

Captain Koomson, who is Chief Operations Officer with the UT Group of Companies, made the statements during an interview with Accra-based Oman FM. Highlights of his pronouncements include:

Who needs any toxic waste in Ghana?

Friday, April 5, 2013

For all these years that the NPP’s Maxwell Kofi Jumah has been involved in Ghanaian politics, he hasn’t endeared himself to the hearts of people like me who see him as an aberration characteristic of a society in transition or as a political misfit reflecting the pitfalls of a young democracy.

I recall him for nothing but the controversy and shameless rabble-rousing that characterizes his politicking. In fine, he is like a toxic waste on our national scene.

Now, he has carried his notoriety a notch higher. Reacting to public outrage at the government’s release of over 39 million Cedis to pay the ex-gratia award for 230 Parliamentarians of the 5^th Republic (including him), Jumah revealed more of his trashy self.

Paying these MPs reflects wickedness in high places

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

My good friends, once again, reality is with us. Two major happenings confirm fears that those in charge of our national affairs are toying with the citizens’ destiny.

1.      Government has released money to be paid to all 230 MPs who served in the fifth Parliament of the fourth Republic as ex-gratia. Each is to receive $100,000 out of the total payment of about Gh¢39 million.

MPs who did not return to the House after the 2012 December 7 and 8 elections, took home Gh¢211,000 each, while those who retained their seats got between Gh¢270,000 and Gh¢275,000 each, depending on their status in the House.

2.      Government has declined to fully pay the one-year market premium arrears owed to members of UTAG although the lecturers are currently on strike. A meeting between UTAG and the government on today was inconclusive, leading to a reinforcement of the strike.

MY COMMENTS

Clearly, by releasing money to be paid to the former MPs while refusing to satisfy the public sector workers demanding payment of arrears and improvement of working conditions, the government has set itself up for condemnation and physical confrontations with public sector workers. I cringe at what will happen soon.

Akufo-Addo didn’t practise law at Coudere Freres in France

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

My good friends, it is undeniable that nothing comes from nothing. The NPP’s Akufo-Addo is still on our radar screen for a good reason.  

One of his claims is that he was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971, after which he moved to Paris (France) to work from 1971–1975 for Coudere Freres (Brothers), a major US law firm. A quick question for him:  As a qualified lawyer, why did he work at that law firm as an administrator and not a practising lawyer? Those who knew him as such in France have begun talking. We challenge Akufo-Addo to clear the air that he didn’t practise law at Coudere Freres.

Once we haven’t yet found the missing link in the chain of his background, we won’t stop the search for answers to pertinent, nagging questions. However long the search may be, we are prepared to carry on, guided by the maxim that “Patience moves mountains, but only if you try” (as the Jamaican reggae maestro, Jimmy Cliff, reminds us).

Akufo-Addo and the Missing Link

Folks, the NPP’s Akufo-Addo last Friday issued a statement from his “rat hole” to wish Ghanaians a happy Easter celebration. He told his supporters that he was in “high spirits” and urged them too to be so.

High Spirits while still praying and fasting for God’s intervention so the 9 Supreme Court judges will nullify over 4 million votes to dislodge President Mahama from the seat of government for him to occupy?

High spirits while Justice Kpegah is at his tail with the make-or-break suit on impersonation and daring him to come out of his “rat hole” to file his response to the “request to admit facts” and meet him in court?

 Those must be really high spirits of a kind, indeed; Akufo-Addo must have a tough skin to be in “high spirits” despite all that is happening. I admire him for that.

Our probing of the issues raised by Justice Kpegah’s suit, however, continues because we want to plot the timeline of Akufo-Addo’s rise to fame, which is now being threatened by Justice Kpegah’s legal onslaught.