Private legal practitioner Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers has pushed back against claims by Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine that the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) is acting in a partisan manner in its advocacy on constitutional issues.
Speaking to Helen Appiah-Ampofo on 3FM’s Sunrise programme on September 16, Brako-Powers insisted that the GBA’s record shows consistency across different administrations.
“The GBA remained conspicuously quiet under President Mahama during Lauretta Lamptey’s removal, and equally silent under President Akufo-Addo during Charlotte Osei’s removal,” he said.
“For this reason, if the GBA is now speaking out, it would be unfair — even mischievous — to accuse it of political bias.”
He stressed that the Association should be supported rather than vilified, noting its crucial role in safeguarding the nation’s democratic structures.
“Today, more than ever, we need the GBA at its best. Its current leadership should be encouraged to defend constitutional governance and support national development,” he added.
Background
Brako-Powers’ comments follow criticisms leveled by the Attorney-General during the GBA’s annual conference in Wa on September 15.
Dr. Ayine had argued that the Bar had shown inconsistency in its public advocacy, particularly regarding petitions for the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
“The honest question we have to ask ourselves is, what changed?” he asked. “All three cases concerned the independence of constitutional bodies.
“Yet the Bar found its voice only in relation to the third petition, which happened to align with the opposition.”
He further pointed out that the Association had remained silent when Lauretta Lamptey, then Commissioner of CHRAJ, was removed in 2015, and again in 2018 when Electoral Commission Chair Charlotte Osei and her deputies were dismissed.
Brako-Powers, however, maintains that the current criticism of the GBA is misplaced and risks undermining an institution that plays a vital role in Ghana’s constitutional democracy.
