High Court dismisses UEW’s application for abridgment of time on Registrar’s leave

A Cape Coast High Court presided over by His Lordship Justice Kwasi Boakye, has dismissed an application for abridgment of time in a case involving the University of Education, Winneba (EUW) and its Registrar, Paul Osei-Barima.

Mr. Osei Barima, in a letter that first emanated from the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, Nana Ofori Ansah, and a subsequent directive from the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Mawuto Avoke was directed to proceed on an accumulated leave.

Even though the Human Resource Division wrote back to the Vice-Chancellor of the University indicating that the Registrar had accumulated no leave, the authorities went ahead and appointed Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah in an acting capacity.

The Registrar, who had refused to proceed on leave, was subsequently locked out of his office.

The Minister of Education, through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), also directed the Management of EUW, to pull the brakes on the directive to the Registrar of the University to take his accumulated leave.

The directive by the Minister of Education was not heeded to by the authorities. They went ahead to pressurise Mr. Osei Barima to proceed on leave.

Mr. Paul Osei Barima, then sought an injunction at the Cape Coast High Court to restrain the Vice-Chancellor from compelling him to proceed on leave.

The court presided over by Her Ladyship Patience Mills-Tetteh restrained the University from forcing the Registrar to proceed on leave with immediate effect.

The ruling of the court did not go down well with the University’s Management. They consequently filed a motion for stay of execution to be moved on October 17, 2022.

Additionally, the University filed for an abridgment of time at a high court in Cape Coast. At the court’s sitting on Wednesday 31st August, 2022, the judge declared the application a nullity. This was after the preliminary legal objection from the defendant’s legal counsel, Benjamin Andoh, was sustained and the motion set aside.

A cost of GHC2,500 was awarded against counsel for the University of Education, Winneba, personally.

Mr. Odartey who works with Adom Chambers, Sunyani, was accused of signing the University’s application on behalf of the institution’s lawyers. In the wisdom of the court, it is a professional misconduct to sign an application emanating from a chamber where one does not practise.

Source: Richard Kwadwo Nyarko