Uphold rule of law- Joe Ghartey

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joe Ghartey has reiterated the call on lawyers to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law to promote peace and stability in the country.

"You should know it is your duty to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law," he said.

The Attorney General said this on a speech read on his behalf by Ms Gertrude Aikins, the acting Director of Public Prosecutions at the 48th Annual Law Week of the Students Representative Council of the Ghana Law School.

He said it was the responsibility of lawyers to protect the Constitution to make Ghana a free democratic state where the executive powers were used to protect and guard the citizens.

The Attorney General said the country needed fearless and bold lawyers who would defend the Constitution and the rule of law and advised the student lawyers to brace themselves up to face that task.

He said the country's democracy needed to be protected and nurtured, saying that responsibility rested on the lawyers.

In his address, Professor Justice A. Kodzo Paaku Kludze, a retired Supreme Court Judge said lawyers were the guardians of the rights and liberties of the citizenry.

He said as guardians and administrators of the law, it is important for lawyers to know what the law said to better appreciate it.

Professor Kludze, therefore, admonished the students to study the law and be abreast of the ethics of the Bar to be able to deliver their work effectively.

“To discharge the responsibilities which the future will impose upon you, you must assiduously apply yourselves to the study of law”, he said, adding that the student lawyers should take interest in the constitutional and political history of the country.

He said lawyers should pursue the ideals of the profession and not use the power invested in them to suppress the people.

Earlier in his address, the acting Director of the Ghana School of Law, Professor Nii Ashie Kotey who described the theme for the celebration: “50 Year's of Ghana's History-the Contribution of Law”, as apt, noted that without the rule of law there would be chaos in the society.

He said the Law Week was important on the calendar of the school and urged the students to actively participate in the celebration to make it a success.

Professor Kotey commended the staff of the school for their hard work and co-operation.

Source: Daily Graphic