Get lost with your desire for the courts to stifle free speech – Kwakye Ofosu to Godfred Dame

Former Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has strongly criticised Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame over his recent comments urging the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to tackle what he describes as "false constitutional theories" propagated on public platforms like radio.

Kwakye Ofosu accuses the Attorney General of seeking to suppress public criticism of the judiciary, framing it as an attempt to stifle free speech.

The Attorney General's remarks were delivered on November 4, during the swearing-in ceremony for the new GBA executives, where he called on the GBA to help safeguard the independence and dignity of the judiciary.

According to Mr. Dame, “The Bar must prevent and condemn each and every act of illegal pressure on the Judiciary… You must be on guard against unscrupulous persons who undermine the independence of the Judiciary by tarnishing its image unjustifiably. Only then will the purity, dignity and majesty of our courts be upheld.”

Mr. Dame went further to underscore the potential damage caused when lawyers share what he terms as misleading theories and fail to uphold the professional standards expected in both public and court settings.

“The situation where lawyers propound false constitutional theories on radio, misconduct themselves in court and in public but the General Legal Council fails to apply the relevant sanctions, contributes to the erosion of respect for the legal profession, destruction of the integrity of the Judiciary and most importantly, the deterioration of the constitutional order of the country,” he added.

Kwakye Ofosu responded with a pointed criticism, asserting that the judiciary, as an institution, must remain open to scrutiny and public debate.

He argued that Mr. Dame’s remarks could be seen as an attempt to limit free expression and shield the judiciary from necessary accountability.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Kwakye Ofosu posted: “Ghana's Judiciary is not above the constitution and is subject to intense scrutiny and harsh public criticism like any other arm of government. Godfred Dame should get lost with his desire for the courts to stifle criticism and free speech.”