ITLOS to give judgement on Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire dispute end of Sep 2017

Hearing of the merits in the dispute concerning the delimitation of maritime boundary between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire ended in Hamburg, Germany on Thursday after two weeks of legal tussle between the two countries.

The President of the Special Chamber constituted to hear the case, Judge Boualem Bouguetaia, told the parties that the tribunal would deliver its judgement at the end of September 2017, reports Graphic Online’s Mabel Aku Baneseh.

Baneseh who reported from the court in Hamburg said the Judge did not give the exact date but told the parties the tribunal would communicate the date to them via its registrar on time.

Judge Bouguetaia, announced the date to the parties after Cote d’Ivoire ended its final round of oral arguments.

The registrar of the Special Chamber, Mr Philippe Gautier told the parties that they (parties) had up to Friday, February 24, 2017 to correct mistakes in their presentations “without modifying the meaning.”

Other members of the panel hearing the case are Judges Rüdiger Wolfrum Germany and Jin-Hyun Paik, Republic of Korea.

Ad hoc judges Thomas Mensah, Ghana and Ronny Abraham, France; were selected by Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire respectively per the rules of the ITLOS.

According to Baneseh, Cote d’Ivoire finished its final arguments four hours ahead of schedule and prayed the tribunal to declare that Ghana had moved into its maritime boundary.

Ghana, led by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Ms Gloria Afua Akuffo, ended Ghana’s round of oral arguments on Monday, February 13, 2017, and prayed the tribunal to reject Cote d’Ivoire’s claims that Ghana had moved into its maritime boundary.

Read more details about the two weeks of legal tussle between the two countries in Friday February  17, 2017 edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper.