Sheey Sheey, farewell
Mourners which included politicians, legal practitioners, political activists, statesmen, media practitioners, leaders of civil society groups, religious and traditional leaders yesterday paid their last respects to renowned legal practitioner and human rights activist, Anthony Akoto Ampaw, popularly referred to as ‘Sheey Sheey’, who passed on October 20, 2023, aged 73.
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A burial service at the State House in Accra attracted personalities, including President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Kwame Asuah Takyi; Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame; Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare; statesman Sam Okudzeto, among other former and current ministers of state.
Pre-burial
The casket containing Sheey Sheey’s remains was opened to the public for filing past as early as 7:30 a.m.
Mourners, adorned in black and red in a solemn manner, took turns to file past the body to bid farewell to the lawyer, whose pursuit of justice went beyond the borders of Ghana.
During the pre-burial service, tributes eulogising the statesman were read, all speaking of the crusade for justice that he led in his legal career.
Last Thursday, a special memorial service was held at the National Theatre in his honour.
After the burial service, the remains of Mr Akoto Ampaw, who was born on April 13, 1950, was transported back to Lolobi Ashiambi in the Oti-Region, where he will finally be laid in state.
Private burial and final funeral rites will take place at Lolobi Ashiambi, Oti-Region, today
Contribution
President Akufo-Addo said since the establishment of the Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co. over 45 years ago, Akoto Ampaw’s contribution to the firm had been enormous
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“Affable, polite, respectful, with a keen sense of social justice, his calm and sympathetic manner brought a great deal of stability to the operations of a firm of highly strung, disputatious lawyers, who were always in a hurry.
“His mastery of the workings of the Courts proved invaluable to the growth of the firm,” the president said, adding that it became obvious that recruiting Akoto Ampaw was the best decisions of his life.
“He became an embodiment of the firm, and mentored successive generations of brilliant young lawyers who passed through the doors of Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co.
“Several, who went on to found their own chambers, going on to fame and fortune, were well aware that they owed their grasp of the rudiments of the profession to his care and attention,” the president stated in his tribute.
Landscape
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, said Akoto Ampaw played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s legal and human rights landscape through his involvement in several landmark cases.
“Having had the privilege of knowing him personally, I can confidently attest to his unwavering commitment to ensuring that the fundamental human rights of the Ghanaian was not exploited by any individual or institution.
“He was a man of extraordinary grit and had an exceptional sense of legal duty to humanity, and to make Ghana a more equitable society,” the Speaker stated.
Admirable
Mr Dame said Akoto Ampaw imparted his knowledge without expectation of a reward and celebrated successes without inhibition.
“More admirable about Sheey was the valour and courage he mustered in defending a cause he deemed right.
“He taught that a lawyer ought to give his best to any client whether they had paid a fee or not,” the A-G said.
Activism
Akoto Ampaw’s activism extended far beyond the shores of Ghana. In July of 2009, Tony embarked on a trip to the Gambia (with members of the Media Foundation for West Africa) to follow up on the case of journalists who had suffered multiple attacks at the hands of Gambian authorities in the face of abundant freedoms in other neighbouring countries like Ghana and Nigeria.
Sheey Sheey served as an Advisor to the Attorney-General in the historic Ghana v. Cote d’Ivoire Maritime Boundary dispute settled by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg.
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He was a Member of the Government’s legal team in the conduct of the AngloGold Ghana Limited v. Republic of Ghana arbitration conducted under the ICSID Arbitration Rules in which an award was delivered in 2018.
He was a Member of the Committee set up by the Attorney-General in 2018 to review the Report of the Constitution Review Commission,
As an ardent activist and reformer, he was a leading member of CDD, Media Foundation and STAR- Ghana and Chairman of the Law Reform Commission.
Akoto Ampaw worked on the Office of Special Prosecutor bill (enacted into law in 2017), the Right to Information bill (passed in 2019) and, latterly, on putting together a coalition to oppose the so-called Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill.
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Bio
Akoto Ampaw was a partner of the law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co.
Lawyer Ampaw had an impeccable legacy in the legal fraternity, especially championing human rights campaigns and fair justice.
Akoto Ampaw graduated from the University of Ghana Law Faculty with an LL.B. in 1973 and the Ghana School of Law with B.L. in 1993.
He specialised in commercial law, company law, industrial law, litigation, constitutional and human rights law, media law, labour law, investment law among others.
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He also served with the current Chief Justice on the Law Reform Commission.
In politics, he was part of the New Patriotic Party’s legal team in the 2013 Election Petition, which challenged the election of President John Dramani Mahama.
Again in 2021, when President Akufo-Addo was re-elected for a second term in office and former President John Mahama challenged the election results at the Supreme Court, Akoto Ampaw was part of the legal team of the President.