The Court of Appeal sitting in Kumasi in a unanimous voice has set aside a directive of the KNUST Vice Chancellor directed at Professor Rexford Assasie Opong to render an apology to some officers of the University for comments or allegations made by Prof. Oppong.

In their judgment available on The Law Platform library by a click here, the Court of Appeal undertook a commendable foray into judicial notice of University Statutes and by extension, documents of the nature, the effect of a recommendation and a directive for apology by a person after the work of a fact finding committee, the distinction between a disciplinary committee and a fact finding committee.

STAR OF THE MONTH - Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah Esq.

Law Week 2026

In application of the principles of natural justice and owing to the conduct of the Respondent in resisting the appeal brought by Prof. Oppong, the Appellate Court by its decision dated the 12th day of February, 2026, set aside the said directive of the Vice Chancellor of the University whose directive was based on the recommendation of an investigative committee on allegations levelled against Prof. Oppong by faculty members.

The Court in this decision held that the failure of the investigative committtee to allow the Appellant-Professor to cross-examine witnesses before it breached the fair hearing rights of the professor as the fact finding Committee reached determinations and made recommendations which the Court deemed as punitive in nature.

The Appellant-Professor whose Judicial Review application did not find favour with the High Court owing to failure to attach a full copy of the University Statute to his application among others, had the arguments of his Counsel, the dependable Derick Adu-Gyamfi overturn the decision of the High Court and a certiorari against the directive of the University Administration which sought to extracting an apology from the victorious Appellant.