In remembrance of Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah, OSG
We commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of the former Chief Justice, His Lordship George Kingsley Acquah, OSG. He is recorded as being the eleventh Ghanaian Chief Justice since Independence.
Advertisement
In uncomplicated prose, here is a glimpse into his life and times.
Early years
George was born on March 6, 1942 to Isaac Yankson and Beatrice Acquah but raised by his stepfather, Isaac Charles Acquah. In 1957, he gained admission to Adisadel College. In 1964, he entered the University of Ghana (Commonwealth hall). Initially, he studied for a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Philosophy before taking up the Bachelor of Laws (Hons) programme. From 1970, George Acquah embarked upon the professional legal course and was called to the Ghana Bar in October 1972. Three decades later, he became the first “home-grown” Chief Justice; all his predecessors had been called to the Bar within the United Kingdom.
Career Path
Lawyer G. K. Acquah began his legal career in private practice, mostly in Cape Coast. About 1989, Lawyer Acquah was invited to join the Bench, a testament to his high performance as a lawyer. In his own words to me much later, “I was invited to join the Court of Appeal, but I declined, asking to be sent to the High Court instead. This was because, I wanted the experience of working as a trial judge.” His Lordship Justice Acquah was assigned to the High Courts at Ho, Hohoe and Denu over the next five years, then to the Court of Appeal for only a year.
In 1995 he was elevated to the highest court of Ghana, the Supreme Court. So zealous, capable and broad-minded was Justice Acquah, that Chief Justice E.K. Wiredu loaded him with chairmanship of several committees in the Judicial Service. Examples were Budget Committee, Reform and Automation Committee, Committee for Continuing Judicial Education, Disciplinary Committee, Tender Board, and the Rules of Court Committee. If there ever was a training ground for the post of Chief Justice, His Lordship G.K Acquah was definitely sprinting to glory with these multiple committee appointments.
Chief Justice
On July 4, 2003, President J.A.K. Kufuor appointed George Kingsley Acquah, Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana. The new Chief Justice (CJ) swept through this country and the judicial system with hurricane-force! He toured the country assessing the administration of justice and facilities. Whilst boldly and diligently discharging his judicial functions on the Bench, he was overhauling the supporting mechanisms. He openly acknowledged that there was corruption in the service which required uprooting.
The trial fast track court was replicated in several locations, the 1954 High Court Rules of Civil Procedure were revised, automation was brought to the commercial courts. He introduced a commercial bank on the court premises through which all filing fees were to be paid, markedly increasing internally generated revenue.
Regarding infrastructure, the Chief Justice embarked upon the construction of a new administration block just behind the imposing colonial structure in Accra and a separate building was constructed solely for commercial courts. For Kumasi he planned a new Appeal Court complex to decongest and decentralise that level of justice. Sadly, he never lived to see his proposal to the President for an entirely new court complex to be built in Accra to replace the Cocoa Affairs derelict building and create additional courts. Today, it stands at the Atta Mills High Street/ministries crossroads.
Where training of staff was concerned His lordship personally led his troops. For example, he approved that an annual maritime law seminar, now in its twelfth year, be organised for the Judiciary. When new financial management laws on procurement and internal audit were passed in 2003, CJ Acquah insisted that the Judiciary be schooled in those procedures. As the first counsel assigned to the Public Procurement Board (PPB), I remember the northern sector seminar in Kumasi. CJ Acquah opened the session, while the lay PPB members looked on in awe at the sheer number of judges in one room. The Chief Justice sat-in through the entire session and when it came to question time, he moved up-front. I quietly complimented him for having sat through the class - “oh why, I came here to learn too!” He then started his well-rehearsed habit of publicly berating his staff –“yes, you don’t listen and yet you don’t know, and some of you are corrupt” - knowing this drill, I started whispering to him, “ehbei CJ, CJ, please…please, outsiders wo ha!”
Not all his exacting measures and pristine methods were popular. As an offshoot, he earned a good number of enemies within and without his establishment. Still fearless, Chief Justice Acquah clashed with the Executive and Legislature when trying to resist financial restraints and variations to judicial budget requests.
Epilogue
I have memories of him and his wife, Jane, coming to mass at the Accra Ridge Church. He would drive himself and alight wearing ordinary, comfortable clothes. Very sadly, the Chief Justice fell ill the very day he was awarded the nation’s highest honour, Star of Ghana, on June 30, 2006. Off and on, he required specialist medical treatment. Alas! Death laid its icy hands on His Lordship George Kingsley Acquah, OSG on March 25, 2007. His four years as Chief Justice have had a visible, enduring, reformative effect on the judicial landscape of our nation.
May his soul continue to rest in peace and good memories comfort his family!!
