More Evidence Against GIMPA Boss Website
The Fast Track High Court, Accra last Friday admitted into evidence two letters against Dr. Stephen Adei, the purported Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration (GIMPA). The letters, one titled PROFESORIAL TITLE and dated September 21, 2007 and the other titled CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL`S EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE MY DEFENCE IN COURT and dated October 3, 2007 were accepted in evidence and duly marked by the Court. The letters were tendered in evidence through Dr. E. H. Boohene, Chairman of the Governing Council of GIMPA, who had appeared on the pain of a subpoena issued by Egbert Faibille Jnr. plaintiff in the matter. Led by Mr. James Agalga, Counsel for Egbert Faibille Jnr., Dr. Boohene told the Court in his evidence-in-chief that when it came to the attention of the GIMPA Council sometime in 2007 (from publications of this paper) that Dr. Adei was not a properly appointed Professor at GIMPA, the Council met and resolved that he should be written to and asked to drop the professorial title; which decision culminated in the letter dated September 21, 2007. He told the Court that following the communication of the GIMPA Council`s decision to Dr. Adei, he (Adei) in turn wrote a response to the Council dated October 3, 2007, seeking to challenge the decision of the GIMPA Council on his purported professorship. Dr. Boohene further told the Court that when the GIMPA Council took office in 2005, they were informed by Dr. Adei at their first meeting that his first tenure as Director General of GIMPA had ended in 2004 and he was desirous of obtaining a renewal. After appointing Dr. Adei to the position of Acting Rector to cover the period he had acted without an appointment letter, a decision was taken that he be appointed substantive Rector subject to the provision of his terms and conditions of service under his expired contract but as I speak he has not provided that; for which reason Council has not given him an appointment letter as required by law,` Dr. Boohene told the Court. In Section 22(3) of ACT 676, the establishment law of GIMPA provides that `“the terms and conditions of the Rector shall be specified in the Rector`s letter of appointment.` Dr. Boohene told the Court that he is a person who believes in the law and does everything to live and work within the law. In his letter of October 3, 2007, Dr. Adei wrote in part to the GIMPA Council Chair `I want to state unambiguously that neither the GIMPA law, Statutes nor regulations forbid the use of a title because it was not conferred by the Institute. Should a competent Court of Law pronounce on the matter in which case it will apply to all Ghanaians, and which as a law abiding citizen, I will comply, I will entreat the Council not to act on a matter which is sub-judice. This is because the matter relates to whether one can use a title in Ghana not conferred by a Ghanaian Institution.` In contrast to this position held by Dr. Adei as quoted above, Egbert Faibille Jnr. has averred in Paragraph 23 of his Statement of Claim that `Plaintiff says by a document titled GIMPA`s Law and Statutes under the repealed PNDC Law 318, which was in force at the time the 1st Defendant (Dr. Adei) caused his purported appointment as Professor of Leadership to be announced in the media and to the whole world and actually held himself out to the whole world as such, and which is still in force at GIMPA, the 1st Defendant does not satisfy GIMPA`s conditions precedent to the use of the title `Professor,` whether Associate or Full Professor.` Paragraph 24 of the Statement of Claim of Egbert Faibille Jnr. further alleges that `The Plaintiff says the right and proper action the 1st Defendant should have taken if he desired to use the title and designation of `Professor` was to have submitted his appointment as Professor of Leadership of Africa to the appropriate body for ratification and subsequent dispensation to use the title of Professor at GIMPA.` Interestingly, Section 14(a) of the Statues of GIMPA provides that `Subject to the Law, appointments to positions of Senior Member shall be the responsibility of the Management Board acting on behalf of the Court (Council), except that no appointment to the status of Principal Lecturer or Professor may be made without the approval of the Court (Council). The functions of the Management Board herein stipulated shall be performed by the Appointments and Promotion Committee.` By the appearance of Dr. Boohene, Egbert Faibille Jnr. has effectively closed his case against Dr. Adei, GIMPA and its Governing Council. Mr. Faibille Jnr. called Mr. Adjei-Seffah, a former Seretary of GIMPA, Mr. Alfred Teddy Konu, Registrar of the University of Ghana, Prof. S. N. Woode, a member of the Governing Council of GIMPA and Chairman of the Public Services Commission, Mr. Ransford Tetteh, Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr. Frank Ocran, a member of the GIMPA Council as well as Dr. E. H. Boohene as witnesses. Dr. Boohene is expected to be cross-examined today, after which Dr. Adei will be expected to open his defence.
Source: MJFM
