A Winneba High Court judge, Justice George Atto Mills-Graves, presiding over the case between Supi Kofi Kwayera and the University of Education, Winneba, has expressed his deep displeasure over how proceedings at the court on Tuesday June 13 was reported in the media.
He emphatically stated that he did not order the University of Education, Winneba to be shut down as has been widely reported in the media since Tuesday.
His Lordship Mills-Graves gave the clarification today [Friday] at the court when the case was called, indicating he was saddened by how the counsel for the University and the media failed to seek further explanations from the court registry before reporting on the issue.
He said the inaccurate reportage has negatively affected his family. Counsel for the plaintiff, Alexander Afenyo Markin, however, jumped to the defense of the media, arguing that the latter cannot be fully blamed for the inaccuracy
He believes a press release by the University announcing the temporary closure influenced the impression that the court had issued an order for the school’s closure.
Counsel for the University and the Ministry of Education that are conjoined as defendants, Peter Zwennes, apologized to the Judge on the issue on behalf of the University authorities and noted that his client later issued a clarification on the official website of the institution.
Accepting the apology, His Lordship Mills-Graves cautioned lawyers and the media to be very circumspect in relaying what goes on at the court to the public, saying, “The English in court is different from the English outside”.
Lawyer Afenyo Markin also added that it was unfortunate that the case had been misrepresented, adding that such a situation could lead to lawyers courting unnecessary public hatred.
In today’s [Friday] sitting, counsel for the University prayed the court to dismiss the case brought before it by the plaintiff.
He cited three arguments that the High Court had no jurisdiction over the case, the plaintiff did not have the capacity to bring the case to the court, and the fact that there was an impropriety in bringing the case before the High Court but the plaintiff’s counsel, Afenyo Markin, opposed all three arguments.
The case has been adjourned to July 10, 2017 for judgment to be given on the application for dismissal.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
