Don't be a Bar that flips on principles but a Bar that is consistent — AG tells GBA

Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine has urged the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to uphold consistency in its principles and maintain a clear distance from partisan political interests.

He said the association’s conduct had, at times, created the perception that it was aligned with a particular political side, warning that such impressions could undermine its independence and credibility.

The Attorney General made the remarks in a statement delivered on his behalf by Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai. He said the GBA must remain independent not only of the government but also of political parties and the Office of the Attorney General.

“An Attorney General who wishes for the bar that agrees with him all the time clearly misunderstands his own job and also the role of the bar as a civil society organisation. Suffice to say that like each of us here in this hall, I too strongly believe that the bar’s authority rests on its independence from the state, from political parties and yes, from the office which I occupy.

“Accordingly, what I asked for in Wa and still ask for here today is not a bar that is silent or hidden but a bar that is visible and present. Not a bar that flips on principles but a bar that is consistent. Not a bar that keeps its distance from public life and discourse but one that keeps its distance from political convenience,” he stated.

Dr Ayine also disclosed that the government was preparing to introduce a Legal Practitioners Standards Bill.

The proposed legislation is expected to address disciplinary matters involving lawyers and curb the abuse of legal processes.