The legal representatives of Cecilia Dapaah have accused the Office of the Special Prosecutor of showing disrespect towards the court in their handling of the petition to remove Justice Edward Twum.
On Thursday, the lawyers from the Office of the Special Prosecutor failed to appear in court as scheduled to move an application for confirmation of seizure and freezing orders, as well as begin the process for the charge of refusal to declare assets against Cecilia Dapaah. As a result, the judge was compelled to adjourn the hearing until a later date, pending a response from the Chief Justice regarding the request for his removal from the case.
The legal team of Cecilia Dapaah expressed disappointment at the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s failure to notify them of the petition, which they described as a deliberate attempt to frustrate the hearing and avoid their own ill-fitted application.
Furthermore, the court was unable to hear the case against the former sanitation minister for refusing to declare her assets due to the absence of the lawyers from the Office of the Special Prosecutor, who were petitioning to have the judge removed from any of their cases.
The lawyers for Cecilia Dapaah also raised concerns about the decision of the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s lawyers to absent themselves from the proceedings.
Victoria Barth, representing Cecilia Dapaah, argued that there was no law or rule of procedure that allowed for the absence of a lawyer or prosecutor simply because they had petitioned the Chief Justice regarding a matter of which they had due notice and had even initiated. She further contended that the Office of the Special Prosecutor had not treated the court with respect and fairness.
“As lawyers, we have an ethical duty to show respect to the court and to treat all persons we engage in the administration of justice fairly and that has not happened today. The OSP is not above the law,” Victoria Barth said in court.
