The Chief Justice of Ghana has defended the decision of the General Legal Council to suspend Elorm Ama Governor-Ababio’s call to the Ghana Bar.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo maintains that the law student’s alleged conduct is not proper for the legal sector, hence the council’s decision to withhold her from being called to the bar.
At an event held in Accra on July 31, the Chief Justice expressed surprise at the public outcry over the GLC’s decision and emphasized that exceptional moral character is a prerequisite for anyone receiving a call to the bar.
“When somebody has behaved in a certain way and we say we cannot call the person to the bar, I was surprised at the furore that rose up concerning the call to the bar of certain people and I thought, like seriously?
“This is proper conduct for the legal sector? That is interesting. So, for you to come into the space of the legal sector, your conduct cannot be obscene and offensive and you expect to be admitted, it doesn’t work like that. Your comments on social media, your ex parte communication for judge is extremely critical,” she cautioned.
In November 2022, the popular social media influencer’s dream of becoming a lawyer after six long years of studying for her LLM was dashed when her colleagues were formally admitted to the profession.
At the time, speculations were rife that the move could be an attempt to crack the whip on her because she identifies as and supports LGBTQ+ people in Ghana and has numerous piercings.
Despite fulfilling all academic requirements, her call to the Bar was upheld because a “concerned citizen” filed a petition filed against her conduct.
The petitioner, Hajia Siduri, stated that she “lacks good character” and has breached the Code of Conduct for the Students of the Ghana School of Law, hence, should not be made a Lawyer in Ghana.
The complaint added that Ama in her YouTube videos has damaged the reputation of the school and should not be allowed to practice.
