General News of Friday, 25 June 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-06-25#FixTheCountry conveners lose challenge against Godfred Dame
The group have in the past weeks been demanding better living conditions via social media protest
The Office of Attorney General has been granted leave to represent the Ghana Police Service in the ongoing suit against the #FixTheCountry Campaign.
An Accra High Court ruled on Friday, June 25, 2021, that the Office of Attorney General can go ahead and represent the police service in the case by the police seeking to stop the group from holding a street
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The group in the ongoing suit raised objection against the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame who in a previous sitting had turned up in court on behalf of the Republic.
Arguing out their challenge against the Attorney General, the #FixTheCountry campaigners said only a police officer under the Public Order Act can request a court to restrain protestors from taking to the streets.
The group has in the past weeks been demanding better living conditions through social media protests and has been challenged in their decision to take the protest onto the streets.
The Police on their part are seeking to stop the group from embarking on the street protest by citing public health concerns and the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions as its basis.
In his argument, one of the lawyers for the conveners of #FIxTheCountry said the court cannot hear a matter on public order which has been filed in the name of the Republic instead of a police officer as mandated by the constitution.
“The applicant does not have the capacity to bring this application under section 1 subsection 6 of the public order act. Act 491. And as such, the Court is not clothed with jurisdiction to hear or grant the application,” Julius Assinyo said in court.
The Public Order Act section 1(6) which was being relied on by the campaigners to argue their case reads “where the organiser refuses to comply with the request under subsection 4 or fails to notify the police officer in accordance with subsection 5, the police officer may apply to the justice or chairman of the regional tribunal.”
However, in his counterargument, the Attorney General described the application as being “completely misconceived and a misunderstanding of the fundamental laws regarding this application.”
