Accra, July 14, GNA- Mr Oliver Barker-Vormavwor, Fix the Country Convenor, was slapped with a cost of GHS10,000 after a baptism of fire when he made his appearance before the Supreme Court.
The inexperienced Barker-Vormawor was made to answer several questions by the seven-member panel on his role in filing an application of contempt against the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the GRA.
Appearing as lawyer for Benjamin Darko of Fix the Country, Democracy Hub LBG and Democratic Accountability Lab, he is praying the apex court to commit the Commissioner General of GRA and the GRA as an institution for contempt over the implementation of E-Levy policy.
It was the case of the plaintiffs that despite an interlocutory injunction, the Commissioner General and the GRA have gone ahead to implement E- Levy policy.
According to the seven-member panel, Mr Barker -Vormawor could not properly name his application, he failed to name the specific person to be cited for contempt.
The Court then asked him to refer to the Supreme Court rules in relation, but he could not produce his books in court.
You are coming to the Supreme Court, and you didn’t have your books or tools with you? On what legal basis are you in court?” the Court quizzed.
A colleague then offered his book to him to read from.
Barker-Vormawor then informed the Court that he had a soft copy of the Supreme Court rules on his mobile phone.
The Court said:” You just rushed to the Supreme Court without doing any research before coming to court. You have just come to waste the Court’s time. We are looking for the law and not your opinions.”
“As an Official bystander, you are asking the court to agree with you. An outsider cannot cry more than the bereaved. The Supreme Court is looking at the law and not pieces of opinions,” the court quizzed.
Despite suggestions from the panel to withdraw the application, the young lawyer with five years’ experience at the bar insisted to argue his case out.
The seven-member panel with Nene Amegatcher, presiding, held that the panel had read the applicants application and they did find any need to call on the other lawyers.
Accordingly, it ruled that the applicant did not have any locus and was not clothed by law to file the application and commit the Commissioner General and GRA for contempt.
It further described the application as ineffective, frivolous, and vexatious.
GNA