Supreme Court bars courts from arresting sovereign ships

The Supreme Court has in a unanimous decision ruled as illegal and unconstitutional, the high court order for the seizure of an Argentine navy ship, Libertad.

The five-member court ordered Ghanaian courts to desist further from such orders which have the potential to endanger the sovereignty of the country, according to Daily Graphic’s court correspondent, Mabel Aku Baneseh.

The Supreme Court’s decision followed a certiorari application by then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Benjamin Kumbuor mon December 18, 2012 for the court to quash the October 2012 order of the High Court allowing the attachment of the naval vessel in enforcement of a commercial contract.

The seizure of the naval ship, which nearly sparked a diplomatic spat between Ghana and Argentina, came to an end in December after a United Nations court ordered the release of the ship.

Story: Graphic.com.gh