Legal expert Martin Kpebu has criticised businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome’s decision to challenge the General Legal Council’s (GLC) ruling to disbar Chief State Attorney Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh.
Kpebu argues that certain behaviours deemed inappropriate within the legal profession could influence court decisions.
The GLC’s notice, dated January 31, 2024, revealed that during a case involving Woyome in 2011, Nerquaye-Tetteh facilitated the direct transfer of GH¢400,000 from Woyome to his wife’s bank account.
The GLC found Nerquaye-Tetteh unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for this transaction. However, Woyome claims the money was a loan he provided to Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh for her business.
Speaking on JoyFM’s TopStory on February 16, Mr. Kpebu said, “It is not possible. It is not legally allowed for Mr Woyome to do what he did at the time. It is indefensible, so putting it simply, it is against the ethics of the profession. That is how the General Legal Council found Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh liable. He needn’t have done so.”
Mr Kpebu’s condemnation of the act follows Mr Woyome’s comments that he has never paid nor will he ever pay a bribe, arguing that the state attorney is being victimised.
But Mr Kpebu insists that, by the standards of the legal profession, this was wrong and no reason is good enough to justify the action.
Again, the legal practitioner added that in this instance, the best response to the matter was to be quiet.
“If it was so genuine, it needn’t have come from Mr. Woyome himself; he could have asked his friends to do that. Not when Mr Nerquarye-Tetteh had something to do with the case. There is no way he can justify it.