Chief Justice Torkornoo on why persons with "obscene" and "offensive" conduct cannot be called to the bar

The Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has been explaining why a person with "obsene" and "offensive" conduct cannot be called to the bar.

Highlighting some of the qualifications to the bar at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration - GIMPA Law Faculty, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo stated: "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's interesting..."

"Anyway, so for you to come into our space, and to come into the space of the legal sector, your conduct cannot be obscene and offensive and you expect that you would be admitted. It doesn't work like that."

"Your comments on social media, your ex parte communications for judges is extremely critical," she added,

Watch the attached video below

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo on why a person with “obscene” and “offensive” public conduct on social media cannot be called to the bar pic.twitter.com/pzJnEsS06a

— GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) July 31, 2023

In November 2022 a student of the Ghana School of Law, popularly known as "Ama Governor" on social media was denied the call to the bar.

It followed a petition to the General Legal Council about her conduct on social media a few days to the call to the bar.

Attached below are some reactions from the said student - Ama Governor in reaction to the Chief Justice's explanation of some of the qualifications to the bar,

Respectfully, I am still waiting to be told what my improper conduct was from 6th Nov, 2022 till date. I cannot handle this tarnishing of image and spread of false information about the true facts of the events that took place for much longer. This is cruel. https://t.co/vzV7mWHyhW

— 𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚖 (@Ama_governor) July 31, 2023

Lastly, check this out: this person that stopped my life was signed by a name Hajia Siduri. We know Hajia is not a first name. So a single named petition was accepted. To make it worse, the number thing was attached cannot be connected to the name and the owner of the number https://t.co/kPruxJgKfN

— 𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚖 (@Ama_governor) July 31, 2023

I won the ‘case’, if you will, against the till date unidentified petitioner. After my lawyer and I submitted our written legal response to the frivolous petition, it was thrown out in the very first hearing. The next three hearings till the decision was delivered was about 2

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— 𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚖 (@Ama_governor) July 31, 2023

questions the committee had to ask me and us coming to a consensus. Nothing about any crime I have committed or any misconduct on my part whether in school or out of school, never a pronouncement of misconduct. Not one time. I could have been caught by the ‘Book of Shame’ - Ghana

— 𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚖 (@Ama_governor) July 31, 2023

School of Law’s way of catching students who misconduct themselves, or have been reported by a teaching or non teaching staff at GSL. I was not a terrible law student or person while studying law. I was a girl who began studying law at 18 years at the University of Ghana and who

— 𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚖 (@Ama_governor) July 31, 2023

Having just gotten her first phone in uni, was mesmerized by YouTube, first of all and other social media platforms. I not only amassed an active following but shared everything I’ve learned to be the woman I am today through the law by digitally documenting my life: body

— 𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚖 (@Ama_governor) July 31, 2023