Category: Daily Guide Network

The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) – in a letter to the Chief Justice dated August 10, 2026 – makes two claims. The first claim is that a vacation Judge does not take proceedings on the substance of the case or conduct trials during the legal vacation.

More particularly, the President said: ‘This notwithstanding, the Judiciary, with the consent of other stakeholders have by convention over the years, agreed to certain courts being designated as Vacation Courts to handle any emergencies arising during the vacation, usually interlocutory matters and never trials.’

The President’s second claim is that the decision, if any, to take proceedings on the substance of the case during the legal vacation lies with the lawyers in the case (and not the bench).

More particularly, the President stated as follows: ‘However, the overriding consideration in any matter brought before a Vacation Judge has always been the willingness/availability of Counsel to appear before the Court in any matter slated for conduct during the vacation. In other words, Counsel are not under any compulsion whatsoever to appear before a Vacation Court.’

None of the two claims is supported by law, rules, practice, or optimal reason. I will explain. However, not before I give a brief background to the conversation:

Nature of Court Proceedings

A court case entails two types of proceedings. They are (1) proceedings on the substantive matter, and (2) proceedings on interlocutory matters. Proceedings on the substantive matter entail proceedings that are capable of finally determining the case. It often includes trials and hearings on the merits of cases.

Interlocutory proceedings, on the other hand, involve motions and summons which do not determine the matter finally. Kindly note this down.

The tradition of law practice (as well as the dictate of the civil procedure rules) is that the superior courts scale down significantly on work in the months of August and September. This is known as the ‘summer vacations’ or ‘the long legal vacation’. In some jurisdictions, it is informally called ‘Judges’ vacation’. It is never called ‘lawyers’ vacation’ anywhere in the world.

The key point here, however, is that the courts scale down on work significantly – they do not shut down. To continue operating partially, some judges – a few of them – are allowed to work over the vacation period. The person who determines which judge works over the vacation is the administrative head of the courts – in this case, the honourable Chief Justice and, of course, together with the inherent judicial power of a judge to manage and control his court’s work. One thing is, however, clear – a lawyer or a body of them do not determine that.

The Chief Justice allows a Judge to work in the vacation by issuing what we call a ‘warrant’ to the Judge. The Chief Justice’s warrant to a Judge to sit during the legal vacation allows the judge – known as a ‘vacation Judge’ – to hear two kinds of cases. The kinds of cases are (1) cases in his own court, and (2) cases in the courts of other judges who are on vacation.

In respect of cases in his own court, a vacation Judge is allowed to take both interlocutory proceedings and substantive proceedings. In respect of cases from other courts, however, a vacation Judge is allowed to take interlocutory proceedings only. This is based on the law and the understanding that it is only a substantive Judge (not a holding Judge) who could determines a case finally.

Now, I turn back to the GBA President’s claims of allegation on court proceedings during the legal vacation.

The Power over Court Proceedings

Contrary to the GBA President’s claim, the power to decide whether to take proceedings on the substance of a case during a legal vacation is for the bench, not for the bar. This is why:

A lawyer’s primary duty is, in fact, to his client – not to the client of another lawyer. If allowed to determine how justice is administered in the courts, a lawyers will decisively make decisions which will promote his client’s interest over the interest of another lawyer’s client. In fact, this is the only reason courts and judges exist – to balance the interests of litigants.

It is, therefore, fundamentally disturbing to suggest, as the GBA President has suggested, that ‘the overriding consideration in any matter brought before a Vacation Judge has always been the willingness/availability of Counsel to appear before the Court in any matter slated for conduct during the vacation.’

Let us, for a minute, turn to England, where the practice of legal vacation originates. There, it is emphatically the decision of the bench to determine how to run the courts, both in term-time and during vacations.

The Civil Procedure Rules Practice Direction 2F regulates the English High Court’s vacation work. There, one will notice that the Practice Direction is filled with phrases like ‘if the senior judge of that Division determines …’, ‘if the Court is satisfied …’, ‘as the Court may direct’, ‘Subject to the discretion of the Judge’, etc.

This has always been the case in Ghana, too. As we have known it, it is the Chief Justice who determines when and where a Court should work. S/he may, as we have come to know it, upon a warrant, determine and direct that a Judge sits even on weekends. We are also aware that Courts have customarily conducted trials over legal vacation.

Nowhere, either in England or in Ghana, is a lawyer or a body of them given the power to determine how court proceedings should go. Thus, one is not particularly certain where the GBA President gets the alleged tradition of this version of legal vacation practice from.

Trials During the Vacations

Contrary to the GBA President’s claim, vacation Judges take proceedings on the substance of the case and do conduct trials during the legal vacation. Here is why:

As stated above, a vacation Judge takes both interlocutory and substantive proceedings on cases in his own court. The reason for this is that a vacation Judge is entitled to and does, eventually, take his share of the vacation but in term-time. When he does, another Judge – a term Judge – takes his (the legal vacation Judge’s) cases.

As in the case of vacation, a term Judge too will – when the vacation Judge goes on leave – take only interlocutory proceedings on cases from the court of the Judge who is now on vacation. Under such circumstances, too, substantive proceedings on cases from the vacation Judge will be on hold until the vacation Judge returns from leave. This is for the same reason and law that only a substantive Judge (not a holding Judge) could determine a case finally.

The net effect of this arrangement is that cases in the vacation Judge’s courts do not suffer disproportionate delays simply because he has served as a vacation Judge.

This has been the practice in our court. So, again, one is not particularly clear what the GBA President grounds the allegation that courts ‘never’ conduct trials during legal vacations on.

Conclusion

Law practice is a difficult job. It drains you, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Many lawyers end up developing serious physical, behavioural and mental illnesses from law practice. Some manage life, sadly, with indulgences and addictions. Legal vacations, thus, may be a good opportunity for lawyers – who are either unwilling or, for any reason, unable to take control of their lives – to get that well-deserved rest.

It is for this reason that many Judges, accommodate the pleas of lawyers to scale down work during judges’ vacation. This accommodation is, however, always upon request, on case-by-case basis, and is subject to the consideration of the Judge who, for the time being is, conducting a case.

What the GBA President’s proposition in her letter to the Chief Justice seeks to do is grave. It seeks to move the power to manage and control court proceedings and to do justice from the hands of the Judge into the hands of a lawyer. This has a severe and far-reaching policy implication for justice administration in Ghana.

On the face of it alone, it distorts the very reason courts exist. If one adds to it the fact that the claim is also not backed by law, rules, practice or optimal reason, then the matter gets even unhealthier.

Now, a lawyer who wishes to take a rest during legal vacation knows exactly what to do. He attends proceedings and makes a plea to the Judge for accommodation.

The Judge will, in turn, consider the plea and, in the interest of justice, either grant the request (either wholly or in part) or refuse it altogether. What a professional lawyer is not entitled to do, and cannot do is to, in vacuo, beforehand, declare that he will not attend proceedings at all.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is reportedly unlikely to extend the contract of Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz, despite growing calls for the experienced Portuguese coach to remain in charge.

Queiroz was appointed in April on a four-month deal, replacing Otto Addo, with the mandate of leading Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The 73-year-old guided the Black Stars to the knockout stage, giving Ghana their first appearance in the World Cup’s knockout phase since 2010.

Ghana were eventually eliminated in the Round of 32, but the team’s progress has sparked calls from supporters and sections of the football fraternity for Queiroz to continue.

President John Mahama has also backed the idea, urging authorities to persuade the Portuguese tactician to stay and build on the progress made at the World Cup.

However, Queiroz’s future remains uncertain, with negotiations reportedly complicated by his demands. GFA Executive Council member Nana Oduro Sarfo has confirmed that the association is also exploring alternative options.

‘The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is still in talks with other coaches for the Black Stars job,’ Oduro Sarfo told Kumasi-based Ezra Radio.

The situation has been further complicated by the departure of assistant coach Roger De Sa, who has since taken up the technical director role at Cape Town Spurs.

The GFA must now resolve the coaching situation ahead of Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, which begins in September.

The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Somalia, with Ghana aiming to return to the AFCON after missing the previous edition in Morocco.

They must be isolated and condemned who exhibit religious intolerance and bigotry in their utterances and posturing.

Ghana’s worthy-of-emulation interfaith harmony has occasionally been threatened by the reckless and irresponsible remarks by some identifiable personalities, a worrying trend which cuts across the faith lines.

This unworthy tendency was played out in the run-up to the last elections as part of a package intended to inflict injury to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate and create a wedge between the two most prominent Abrahamic faiths – Christianity and Islam.

They have shallow minds and cannot understand the ways of God as they should; they think erroneously that God, the Omnipotent, has ceded some of his spiritual powers to them.

Otherwise they would not be venturing into the world of esotericism and using same to line their pockets with threats of curses and claims that they can make and unmake political leaders.

There are as many trusted men of God as are charlatans who have turned the art of prophesying into a lucrative industry, preying lavishly on desperate politicians especially.

We saw how their integrities were bloodied during the last World Cup tournaments; they got betting addicts to bet for teams which did not win. Ultimate power and knowledge of tomorrow lies in the bosom of God, not charlatans.

We shall continue to repeat the Biblical saying that ‘the ways of God are not ours.’ Those who therefore think that they wield special powers over intercessions, and can therefore threaten others with curses, are spiritually doomed and headed for humiliation.

Playing God by mere mortals enmeshed in iniquities is just unfathomable and can only be attributed to hubris.

In a geopolitical setting which has enjoyed interfaith harmony, it would be unacceptable that a few persons out of greed and sheer hatred would embark on this trajectory.

Pastor Owusu Bempah’s recent project, a repeat of what he undertook in 2024, does not inure to the interest of the nation and should be shunned. The good thing though is that he would fail and Ghana shall triumph.

He prophesied the death of the National Chief Imam in 2019, and it did not come to pass.

He and others who have joined hands with evil-minded politicians to rock the boat of the nation have been identified, and that is enough to stifle their project.

He must be excited that a so-called Islamic cleric who shares equal extremist tendencies has threatened death to those who insult Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him. This can only add impetus to religious bigotry.

We salute the Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam for condemning the nonsense and demanding his arrest for interrogation. He is no different from the other religious bigots; all are destructive to the interfaith harmony we have nurtured and enjoyed over the years.

Those who drag politics into the sanctified realm of religion should be called out and shamed.

The best men of God in both Christianity and Islam can do for their country is to ensure good governance by those elected to rule. Kowtowing to them for pittance through false claim of spiritual powers is not the way.

Spiritual narcissism, as it is being exuded by some pastors and Islamic clerics in party colours, is intended to advance the cause of a political grouping.

As known to all true men of God regardless of their faiths, what the Almighty has destined shall come to pass regardless of the wishes of some individuals. Let us all protect the enviable interfaith harmony in the country.

Remember the 850 false Prophets of Baal and Jezebel who perished and be wise.

Romell Glave delivered a stunning performance in Birmingham to win European 100m gold and lead Great Britain to a one-two finish alongside Jeremiah Azu.

Glave clocked 10.09 seconds to claim his first major international title, upgrading the bronze medal he won in Rome two years ago. The 26-year-old surged clear early and maintained his advantage to become the sixth British man to win the European 100m crown.

Azu followed closely behind in 10.16 seconds to secure silver and return to the international podium after a challenging season.

Germany’s Owen Ansah completed the podium, while defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy was forced to pull up with an injury midway through the race.

The result came just 24 hours after Britain’s Amy Hunt won the women’s 100m title, giving the hosts a memorable sweep of both individual sprint events.

Glave has enjoyed a breakthrough season, breaking the 10-second barrier for the first time under legal conditions when he won the British title in June. He has since recorded six sub-10-second performances across all conditions.

After the race, Glave celebrated by pointing to the sky before declaring Great Britain’s sprint success ‘total domination.’

The victory also marks a remarkable turnaround for Glave, whose development was previously disrupted by injuries, including a fractured back.

Azu, meanwhile, was delighted to return to the podium after describing his season as inconsistent.

Great Britain now have European champions in both the men’s and women’s 100m, with Glave and Hunt leading a dominant sprint campaign on home soil.

Content creator, Humble Soul, has revealed that Jarvis, the newly-wedded wife of TikToker Peller, was the one who introduced him and his daughter Najat to the star.

In an emotional post, Humble Soul said the connection came through Jarvis, describing the moment as ‘very touching.’

‘Jarvis was the one that introduced me and my beautiful daughter to Peller,’ he stated.

The admission has sparked reactions online, with fans praising Jarvis for extending love and support beyond just her marriage to Peller.

Peller and Jarvis tied the knot recently in a widely celebrated ceremony that drew attention across social media. Since then, the couple has been praised for their openness and the way they engage with fans and fellow creators.

The couple has also been seen with Humble Soul and his daughter in Lagos, Nigeria, making memories.

Humble Soul’s revelation adds another layer to the goodwill surrounding the couple, with many commending Jarvis for using her platform to uplift others.

Humble Soul and Najat drew widespread public attention following a custody dispute with the child’s mother’s family, an emotional public appeal, subsequent community support from figures like Afia Schwarzenegger, and a reported temporary reconciliation or understanding between the parents.

Humble Soul raised Nayat as a single father from infancy after her mother, Shantel, returned to school. A high-profile online dispute arose when the mother’s family sought custody, prompting an emotional plea from Humble Soul.

The parents later reached an arrangement for shared time, with Nayat staying primarily with her father and visiting her mother.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has commemorated World Breastfeeding Week 2026, calling for stronger measures to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the country under the theme, ‘Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.’

In a press statement issued yesterday, the Authority urged government, healthcare professionals, employers, families, communities and development partners to strengthen policies and programmes that have been effective in improving breastfeeding outcomes.

It stated that breastfeeding remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient public health interventions for improving child survival, nutrition and development, noting that breast milk provides the nutrients infants need during the first six months of life and helps protect them against diarrhea, respiratory infections, childhood obesity and other illnesses.

It also stressed the importance of continued breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding up to two years and beyond, stating that such practice contributes to healthy growth, cognitive development and long-term well-being.

The Authority said the benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond children, adding that mothers also gain significant health benefits from the practice, citing the reduction of the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, supporting recovery after childbirth as well as strengthening the emotional bond between mothers and their children.

It added that breastfeeding can contribute to the reduction of environmental waste while supporting more sustainable food systems since breast milk is a natural and renewable source of infant nutrition which does not require manufacturing, packaging or transportation, and is environmentally sustainable.

It further cited several challenges that continue to affect efforts to achieve optimal breastfeeding despite public health intervention, which includes aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes, changing lifestyles, workplace constraints, misinformation and inadequate support from families and communities.

The FDA has assured the public of its commitment to protect breastfeeding through the implementation and enforcement of the Breastfeeding Promotion Regulation, 2000 (L.I. 1667), which regulates the marketing and distribution of breastmilk substitutes in the country, stressing the Authority’s continued efforts to monitor compliance, conduct market surveillance, educate stakeholders as well as work with partners to ensure mothers have access to accurate and evidence-based information on infant feeding.

The Authority stated that it would collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Ubora Quality Institute, the media and other stakeholders on nationwide public education and regulatory enforcement.

The Los Angeles Lakers are to be sold for a reported record-breaking $12.5bn, external (£9.3bn) – less than a year after Mark Walter took a majority stake in the NBA franchise.

Josh Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger are buying the controlling interest in one of the world’s most iconic sports teams.

Walter bought his share, reportedly worth an estimated $10bn (£7.45bn), from the Buss family in a deal that was unanimously approved by the NBA Board of Governors in October 2025.

Kushner and Iger said in a statement: ‘As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honoured for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world.

‘We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss.

‘Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.’

Former Chief Executive Officer of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, was released from prison yesterday following the decision of the Office of the Attorney General (AG) to withdraw a motion seeking to stay the execution of her acquittal and discharge by the Court of Appeal.

A court in Accra issued a warrant for her release from prison just moments after the Attorney General withdrew a motion which sought to have her in prison custody pending the determination on an appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal that acquitted her last month.

The Court of Appeal was set to rule on the Attorney General’s motion for stay of execution, which had argued that Tamakloe-Attionu, who was jailed 10 years for stealing and causing about GHS93 million financial loss to the state, will leave the jurisdiction if she is released from prison before the Supreme Court gets to determine the appeal against her acquittal.

But a representative from the Attorney General’s Office instead withdrew the application without any explanation, leaving the court to strike it out as withdrawn.

Reports later surfaced that the Attorney General had filed the same application at the Supreme Court, and same scheduled for October when the court resumes sitting after the legal vacation.

It is not clear what purpose that application serves, given the fact that the Court of Appeal’s decision essentially exonerates her of any wrongdoing and calls for her release from prison.

Acquittal

The Court of Appeal, on July 30, 2026, acquitted and discharged Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, setting aside the 10 years’ jail term handed her for stealing and causing financial loss to the state.

The court, in its 94-page judgment on an appeal filed by the ex-John Mahama appointee, held that the prosecution failed to lay sufficient evidence in proving the charges levelled against her.

The court further criticised their colleague judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, then a High Court judge, for the way she handled the case, stating that she shifted the burden of proof onto the accused rather than the prosecution as the law demands.

The appellate court’s decision expectedly split opinion, with many questioning the court’s reasoning, while others agreed it was proper.

The whereabouts of the about GHS93 million the nation is said to have lost through the actions of the accused is one question many observers are demanding answers to.

The Attorney General immediately issued a statement indicating a disagreement with the Court of Appeal’s decision and a desire to pursue the matter at the Supreme Court.

However, there are many who thought it was a ploy to shift attention from the real questions being asked about the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s promise to fight corruption.

Others also criticised government for discontinuing the trial of former appointees of the party and those affiliated with it, while initiating new trials against past appointees of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Declared Fugitive

Tamakloe-Attionu had been in the United States since 2021 after failing to return to Ghana to face trial, after she was granted permission by the court to travel for medical checkup. The court had to declare her a fugitive.

She was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in absentia for allegedly bloating contracts and spending part of relief funds meant for victims of the Kantamanto fire outbreak.

Tamakloe-Attionu was also jailed for pocketing an amount of GHS500,000 invested by MASLOC at Obaatanpa Microfinance Company Limited which was returned to MASLOC because of the high interest demanded, but the money never reflected in the accounts of the Centre.

She was arrested and detained in the United States in January 2026, and was subsequently extradited to Ghana after a court found that the information presented to it by the Ghana Government and its US counterpart ‘is competent evidence to establish probable cause that Tamakloe-Attionu committed the crimes with which she is charged and has been convicted.’

Former AG Criticism

Former Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, criticised the acquittal and discharge, taking particular aim at the manner in which the whole appeal process was initiated and eventually decided upon.

He indicated that the Office of the Attorney General under his tenure never received a notice of appeal filed by lawyers of Tamakloe-Attionu following her conviction and sentencing.

He was of the opinion that the development falls in line with a grand scheme by the NDC government to free all its former appointees and allies who were facing criminal proceedings.

Actor, Yaw Dabo, has set the record straight about the funding of his recent trip to the United States, denying claims that a politician or the government sponsored his journey.

The Kumawood actor said his flight ticket was paid for by Dr ‘Time Daso’ of Medimafo Herbal Hospital, while he personally covered his accommodation and other expenses during the trip.

Speaking to Nana Romeo on Okay FM, Yaw Dabo said the sponsorship was limited to his airfare.

‘I heard Dada Santo saying that the government sponsored my trip, but it’s not true. No politician paid for my trip to the US. It’s Dr Time Daso of Medimafo Herbal Hospital who sponsored me,’ he said.

‘He paid for just my ticket and nothing more. My hotel and other expenses are not included,’ he added.

Yaw Dabo also explained that his trips to watch major football tournaments are not a new development, saying he has consistently travelled during World Cup seasons.

‘Every World Cup season, I travel to watch. Every four years during the World Cup, I say things and they trend,’ he stated.

The actor dismissed suggestions that he deliberately makes controversial statements or creates content to attract attention online.

‘I don’t do that deliberately, but Ghanaians love me, so everything I do or say, they make it a trend,’ he noted.

Yaw Dabo further recounted how his activities during the World Cup caught the attention of former Chelsea and England defender, John Terry.

According to him, his popularity and activities around the tournament helped Terry realise that he had a significant following in Ghana.

‘They made John Terry realise I’m famous and he approached me. He got my number and called me,’ Yaw Dabo disclosed.

Actors, Agya Koo and Kwadwo Nkansah a.k.a LilWin have seemingly put their long-standing differences behind them after reuniting on a movie set.

The two popular Kumawood actors were recently spotted working together, sparking excitement among fans who have followed their careers and the rivalry that has surrounded them over the years.

Agya Koo confirmed the reunion in a social media post after fans repeatedly asked when he would feature in a movie with LilWin.

The veteran actor said he had previously responded to such questions by citing Isaiah 60:22, suggesting that the collaboration would occur at the right time.

He believes that time has now arrived.

‘Ghanaians have been asking me, ‘Kofi, when are you coming out with a new movie with Kwadwo Nkansah?’ I always told them: Isaiah 60:22. And the time is now. I’m on set with my bro. Expect nothing but the best,’ he wrote.

LilWin also welcomed the reunion, describing Agya Koo as a legend who deserves greater recognition and appreciation from Ghanaians.

He questioned why some Ghanaians appear to celebrate Nigerian actors more than local stars who have contributed significantly to the growth of the Ghanaian movie industry.

The actor called on Ghanaians to support and celebrate their own talents, particularly those who have helped build the local film industry.

LilWin said he personally asked his director to bring Agya Koo onto the project because of the respect he has for the veteran actor.

‘I asked my director to call Agya Koo because if I had called him myself, he might have said he wouldn’t charge me. I’m proud to be in the same movie with our legend,’ he said.

The reunion marks a significant moment for Ghana’s movie industry, particularly for fans who have witnessed the tension between the two actors in previous years.

Their return to the same set is expected to generate considerable interest as movie lovers look forward to seeing the two Kumawood stars share the screen once again.