Chief State Attorney dismissed from the bar for taking GH¢400K from Woyome

A Chief State Attorney named Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, who worked at the Office of the Attorney-General, has been banned from practicing law in Ghana by the General Legal Council (GLC) due to his actions in 2011.

According to a Graphic Online report, Mr Nerquaye-Tetteh collected GH¢400,000 from businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

The Disciplinary Committee of the GLC, which is responsible for regulating the legal profession, found him guilty of professional misconduct under Rule 2(2) of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 1969 (L.I. 613), and disbarred him permanently.

On January 31, 2024, the GLC issued a notice stating that Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh was defending the state against a lawsuit by Woyome when he personally caused the direct transfer of GH¢400,000 from Mr. Woyome to the bank account of his wife.

The GLC stated that Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh was unable to provide a reasonable explanation for the transfer of the GH¢400,000 to his wife's bank account from Mr. Woyome.

The GLC also stated that Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh's conduct had negatively impacted "the dignity and high standing of the legal profession."

As a lawyer and Chief State Attorney who acted as counsel for the State in the case of Alfred Agbesi Woyome vrs. Attorney General & Anor, Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh's act of transferring an amount of GH¢400,000 directly from Mr. Alfred Woyome to the bank account of his wife, Mrs. Gifty Nerquaye-Tetteh without any reasonable explanation, was an act that adversely affected the dignity and high standing of the legal profession.

“SAMUEL NERQUAYE-TETTEH shall not hold himself out as a lawyer or attend chambers or render or purport to render any professional legal services to the public. The practicing licence of Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh is hereby withdrawn forthwith,” the notice said.

The notice was signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cynthia Pamela Koranteng.