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The Bar and the gallery burst into bouts of laughter and grins when proceedings took a light turn when the assertive and court-controlling Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe raised the topic of the addresses by the respected Thaddeus Sory to the Supreme Court Bench during the hearing of the injunction application brought against the anti-LGBTQ bill.
Proceedings took this turn during the objection raised by the experienced State Prosecutor, Mr. Richard Gyambiby to portions of the witness statement of Mr. Richard Jakpa, a business man on trial with Dr. Ato Forson for causing financial loss to the state through the purchase of some ambulances for the state.
Justice Asare Botwe who was firing questions to Mr. Sory with the obvious intention of soliciting clarity on some issues of the witness statement of the accused business man was cut short in one of her questions by the learned Thaddeus Sory who was lead Counsel for Mr. Richard Jakpa. Justice Asare Botwe told Mr. Sory to allow her land on her question. The short episode for the judge had similarity to some episodes of the hearing of the anti-LGBTQ injunction hearing.
Asare Botwe J.A now veered into events of the injunction hearing. She disclosed to the court that she had the intention of observing proceedings herself but could not as she was sitting at the same time in the Court of Appeal. Moving to the main plot, she recounted some of the exchanges between the Chief Justice (C.J) and Mr. Sory and said Mr. Sory sometimes will not allow the C.J to even end her statements and questions. "You made a whole C.J beg you to finish her questions", Justice Asare Botwe in her characteristic animated voice told Mr. Sory. To laughter from lawyers flanking Mr Sory and the gallery and to a broad smile from Justice Asare Botwe herself, who is sitting as an additional High Court judge, Mr. Sory suggested it was rather the C.J who would not allow him speak.
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On the wave of the lightness of the proceedings sparked by the episode, Justice Asare Botwe advised Mr. Sory to allow the C.J end her questions before he responds. Mr. Sory with a grin responded that he is a teacher of advocacy and good advocacy required some tenacity and boldness but he all the same is guided by the words of Her Ladyship. Mr. Sory was flanked to his left by his reliable lieutenant, the learned Baffour Bonsu Ashia who watched his Senior in his usual interesting discourse with the Bench.
about 10 hours ago
1 day ago
2 days ago
7th Sep, 2026
7th Sep, 2026
Proceedings in which these exchanges occurred between Mr. Sory and Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe was on the 9th day of May, 2024. Trial was adjourned to 14th May, 2024 for continuation of examination in chief by Mr. Richard Jakpa and possible cross-examination.
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