Mabel Agyemang
Her Ladyship Mrs. Justice/Her Ladyship Justice Mabel Maame Agyemang (née Banful) | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Ghana |
Nationality | Ghanaian |
Alma mater | Ghana School of Law, University of Ghana, Wesley Girls' High School |
Occupation | Judge |
Profession | Lawyer, Judge |
Her Ladyship Mrs. Justice Mabel Maame Agyemang, née Banful (also Yamoa), is a superior court judge who has served in the judiciaries of the governments of Ghana, The Gambia and Swaziland.[1] She was the first female Chief Justice of The Gambia.[2][3]
Judicial career
Justice Agyemang was called to the Ghanaian Bar in 1987 and joined the Bench shortly after. As a Ghanaian judge, she served in various judicial capacities and sat in a number of jurisdictions including Accra, Cape Coast, Koforidua, Kumasi, and Tema. She also served as vice-president of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana from 1996 to 2000.[4] She was elevated to the High Court in 2002.[5]
She began working for the Commonwealth Secretariat as an expert judge in 2004, first being sent to The Gambia where she spent four years as a High Court judge.[6] During her four-year tenure in the Gambia, Justice Agyemang served the Land, Civil, Commercial and Criminal divisions and successfully completed about 365 files.[6] In 2008, she was seconded to Swaziland where she served for two years in a similar capacity.[1] Her cases in Swaziland spanned both private and public law and included cases on defamation, unlawful arrests, police brutality and electoral disputes.[1] One of her notable judgments in Swaziland was her judgment on the right to free education.[7]
Justice Agyemang returned to The Gambia in 2010, still with the Commonwealth Secretariat, as an expert Appeal Court Judge.[8] She was appointed Chief Justice of the Gambia in August 2013.[3][9] Her appointment was widely seen as an inspired choice as she is seen by the international community as an experienced and independent minded judge.[10] She served until her abrupt removal in February 2014. There was no official reason given by the Gambian government as to the cause of dismissal.[11][12][13] It is suspected by many in the international judicial community that her dismissal was tied to differences over a human rights abuse case[14] and her insistence on judicial independence.[15] She currently serves as a Justice of the Ghana Court of Appeal.[16] In October 2015, while speaking at the opening ceremony of a new judicial complex in Accra, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama cited Justice Agyemang as an example of highly respected judges within the Ghanaian judiciary.[17]
Personal life
Justice Agyemang is a devout Christian and is married with two children.
References
- 1 2 3 "Helping to deliver justice in Swaziland" Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback Machine., Commonwealth Secretariat
- ↑ "Editorial: Will Appointment of Ghanaian Justice Mabel Agyemang as Chief Justice bring Judicial reform in Gambia?", Gainako, 23 July 2013.
- 1 2 "Agyemang Confirmed Chief Justice" Archived 2013-08-12 at the Wayback Machine., The Daily Observer.
- ↑ Bakare Muritala & Momodou Bah. "Ghanaian judges introduced in the Gambia", GhanaWeb, 12 October 2004.
- ↑ "Restore confidence in the Judiciary: JAK to Judges", GhanaWeb, 19 June 2002.
- 1 2 "Justice Agyemang Takes Leave of the Gambia", The Point Newspaper, 12 September 2008.
- ↑ "SWAZILAND: Judge rules for free education", IRIN Africa, 25 March 2009.
- ↑ "Four new judges sworn-in" Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine., The Daily Observer.
- ↑ "Ghanaian To Be Sworn In As The Chief Justice Of Gambia", Peace FM Online, 31 July 2013.
- ↑ "British High Commissioner Comments on Appointment of new Chief Justice", The Point Newspaper, 12 August 2013.
- ↑ "2014 Human Rights Reports: The Gambia", US Department of State.
- ↑ "Gambia’s Chief Justice Removed", Kibaaro News, 4 February 2014.
- ↑ "Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang removed", The Point Newspaper, 6 February 2014.
- ↑ "Judicial Independence and Human Rights Issues: Gambia", CMJA News (Newsletter of the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association), Vol. 35, April 2014.
- ↑ Sidi Sanneh, "One More Victim of a Patently Vindictive Dictator", 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "President Mahama swears in five Court of Appeal judges", Daily Graphic, 8 January 2015.
- ↑ "Avoid tagging entire judiciary as corrupt – Mahama", Ghana Business News, 9 October 2015.