Human Rights Lawyer sues General Legal Council for Violating his rights

Renowned human rights lawyer, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has filed a writ at the Human Rights High Court, seeking an order to enforce his fundamental rights to a fair trial as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution.

He also filed an interlocutory injunction restraining the General Legal Council (GLC), the regulator of the legal profession in Ghana, from taking any further disciplinary proceedings in respect of him pending the determination of his human rights by the court.

He has exhibited one of his previous proceedings, where he alleges he was abused and threatened by the Disciplinary Committee members.

The exhibit, according to him, shows the Committee members made serious pre-judicial, political and religious statements against him.

Mr Sosu was handed a four-year suspension earlier this year by the GLC after he was found guilty of professional misconduct contrary to the code regulating legal practice in Ghana.

The Council explains that the suspension was the result of a complaint filed by one Francis Agyare, a client of Mr Sosu, at the Council accusing him and his law firm F-X Law & Associates of attempting to swindle him.

He was also found guilty of advertising himself on social media in contravention of the rules and regulations of the profession.

In the recent suit, filed on December 14, 2017, Mr Sosu alleges that the committee only seeks to destroy his career and is unfit to hear any matter in respect of him due to their previous conduct.

Lawyer Sosu argued that unless the GLC prescribes rules of procedure for its Disciplinary Committee in a Legislative Instrument as required by section 9(1) of the Legal Professions Act, 1960 (Act 32) in accordance with the requirements in Article 23 and 296(c) of the 1992 Constitution, the Committee will continue to be lawless, arbitrary, selective, and abusive.

Lawyer Sosu claims to have an audio recording of the disciplinary hearing on April 13, 2017, which shows the Committee members were malicious in their conduct.

Unrelenting

Francis-Xavier Sosu has been unrelenting in his fight against the suspension, albeit with little success.

The Court of Appeal in July this year dismissed a motion he filed seeking to halt the implementation of his suspension.

Following his ban, he has become a fierce critic of the General Legal Council, describing the body as one of the lawless institutions in the country.

He is convinced the Council is only good at intimidating lawyers.