Accra: Lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea, representing former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and two others, has protested the decision to continue hearing their criminal case during the legal vacation, describing the directive as unprecedented and discriminatory.
According to Ghana Web, Atta Akyea, head of Chambers at Zoe, Akyea and Co., addressed a letter dated August 5, 2026, to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, urging the Judiciary to withdraw the directive authorizing the vacation sittings and to adjourn the case until the next legal term. The case, involving Kwabena Adu-Boahene, Angela Adjei Boateng, and Advantage Solutions Limited, was scheduled to continue before the Specialised Court 1, presided over by Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga, JA, during the legal vacation.
The lawyers argued that the decision would compel the defense team to work beyond the legal year while other lawyers and judges take time to rest. They emphasized that the directive had disrupted their personal engagements and travel plans after working throughout the legal year from October 2025 to July 2026. The legal vacation, they stated, has long been a period for both lawyers and judges to recuperate after an exhaustive year.
The legal team highlighted that other criminal and civil cases had been adjourned to October and November 2026 to allow lawyers and judges to observe the vacation. They expressed concern that the directive to continue with the part-heard trial could lead to claims of selective justice, creating a perception of two separate tracks in criminal justice delivery.
The lawyers articulated that the Ghanaian public perceives a dual criminal justice system: one track expedited for 'special criminal cases' before specialized courts, and another where cases progress normally. They underscored their concern for the Judiciary as the last bastion of refuge in constitutional democracy, urging the Chief Justice to reconsider the directive, withdraw the warrant authorizing the vacation sittings, and vacate the hearing dates.
The courts were authorized to sit during the legal vacation following a warrant issued by Baffoe-Bonnie, allowing Justices Achibonga and Kocuvie-Tay to hear cases during the period.