It was honour to serve Ghana at ITLOS — Former Attorney-General
The immediate past Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, has left Hamburg, Germany for Accra after formally handing over the baton in Ghana’s maritime boundary dispute with Cote d’Ivoire to her successor, Ms Gloria Afua Akuffo.
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At a brief ceremony last Monday at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), Mrs Appiah-Opong formally told the Special Chamber that there was a change in government and for that reason, she was no longer Ghana’s Agent on the case.
She, subsequently, prayed the Special Chamber to formally invite Ms Akuffo to present Ghana’s opening address on Monday.
Ghana First
In a brief interview with the Daily Graphic before her departure for the airport, Mrs Appiah-Opong said it was an honour to have had the opportunity to serve Ghana at the ITLOS.
“Working with Gloria on this case has been great. The team has been excellent and I wish Ghana pulls through victoriously in the long run,” Mrs Appiah-Opong said.
The handover
Hearing of the merits of the case began at the ITLOS last Monday but Mrs Appiah-Opong told the panel of five judges and the registrar that there was a change in government and for that reason she was at the tribunal to officially hand over to Ms Akuffo.
“As you may be aware, there has recently been a change in government in Ghana. Since then, the current and former government have worked together closely to ensure the smooth running and continuity of the case,” Mrs Appiah-Opong said.
She said the past and present administrations were completely united in their commitment to Ghana’s national interest, adding, “this unity is shown by my presence here alongside my successor as Attorney-General, Ms Gloria Afua Akuffo.”
Mrs Appiah-Opong emphasised that the case was tremendously important to Ghana and further noted that it had been her privilege to act as Ghana’s agent since the case began in 2014 and supported by a team both in Ghana and abroad.
“I am delighted now to hand over the role of Agent to the capable hands of Ms Akuffo for this important final stage of the case, and so I ask you to call on her to introduce Ghana’s first round of oral submissions,” Mrs Appiah-Opong added.
Cote d’Ivoire
A former Minister for Petroleum in Cote d’Ivoire, Mr Adama Toungara, is leading the Ivorian delegation.
Other members of the Ivorian delegation include the current Minister of Petroleum, Mr Thierry Tanoh; the Director General of PETROCI, Dr Ibrahima Diaby and the Ivorian Ambassador to Germany, Mr Leon Houadja Kacou Adom.
Cote d’Ivoire began advancing its arguments yesterday, February 9, 2017. Hearing ends on February 16, 2017.