President must discipline himself before disciplining others – Kwaku Ansa-Asare

The former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has underscored the importance of presidential self-discipline as a prerequisite for the effective discipline of others.

According to him, while the President does have an implied legal power to discipline erring ministers of state, he must first hold himself to the highest standards of conduct in order to set an example and maintain the integrity of the office.

The call stems from the controversial allegation by Richard Jakpa, an accused person standing trial alongside Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on grounds of allegedly causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to procure ambulances for the state.

Mr. Jakpa claimed in court that the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame had repeatedly sought his assistance to condemn Dr. Forson in the ongoing trial.

At a press conference on Tuesday, NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia called for Mr. Dame’s dismissal after playing a secret recording of a conversation alleged to be between the AG and Jakpa.

The NDC chairman warned that if the president does not heed the demands to remove Dame as the AG and sanction him, a future NDC government will take action.

Speaking on the JoyNews’ AM show, Mr. Ansa-Asare stated that “Under Article 296 of the Constitution, the president … has an implied power to discipline erring ministers of state, but maybe he has to discipline himself before he can discipline his erring ministers.

“He has to do some self-introspection where he has gone wrong, search his own soul, where he has gone wrong, and correct it, right the wrong, but that does not mean that he does not derogate from the fact that he must master the political will and courage to fire Godfred Dame”.

Mr. Ansa-Asare rejected the notion that the Attorney-General is immune to disciplinary measures by the General Legal Council,

According to him, the Attorney-General is a member of the General Legal Council and, as such, is subject to the same ethical standards and discipline as any other lawyer.

He further highlighted the Attorney-General’s alleged breaches of the code of conduct, arguing that this necessitates disciplinary action.