General News of Thursday, 15 August 2013

Source: radioxyzonline

Ayikoi Otoo better than “abrasive” Atta Akyea – Derrick Adjei

The Deputy Coordinator of the National Youth Council, Prince Derrick Agyei, says former Attorney General, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has shown better legal brilliance than Abuakwa South Legislator Samuel Atta-Akyea.

Whilst Ayikoi Otoo succeeded in saving his clients, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, also known as Sir John and Hopeson Adorye from imprisonment in connection with a criminal contempt case, Daily Searchlight Managing Editor, Ken Kuranchie, who was hauled before the same Supreme Court over a similar offence, albeit under different circumstances and represented by Samuel Atta-Akyea, ended up serving a 10-day jail term.

As far as Mr. Derrick Adjei is concerned, “Sir John going for Ayikoi Otoo as opposed to an abrasive Atta Akyea was a good move that saved him from going to jail…on the part of Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo, he showed brilliance and I think the difference between him and Atta Akyea is clear. One sent his client to jail and the other sent his client home”.

“I believe that the styles of the two Lawyers are different; the demeanor of the two lawyers are different; the stature of the two lawyers are different”, Derrick Adjei told XYZ News on Thursday.

He observed that: “…Whilst Lawyer Atta Akyea came abrasive and challenging the Court and trying to do legalese, Ayikoi Otoo did the direct opposite”.

According to him, Sir John and Mr. Adorye could have suffered the fate of Ken Kuranchie had the Legislator represented them in Court on Wednesday.

“…It is quite possible that if Lawyer Atta Akyea had come and acted in ways that are inconsistent with his professional conduct, as in that of Ayikoi Otoo, he would have again walked another client to jail”, he said.

“…Unfortunately, [Atta Akyea] is on the bad side. He is a losing lawyer. His tactics were obviously wrong and abrasive. His conduct was perhaps not to be emulated and as has been shown by Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo, non-emulation of that was good and on this occasion, got his client out of the jaws of jail”.

On July 3, 2013, Editor-in-Chief of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr., blamed the posture of his colleague Editor’s Lawyers for his imprisonment.

He said not only did Ken Kuranchie’s Lawyers mislead him but they also gave him bad advice.

“I don’t think he got the best of legal advice,” Kwesi Pratt told Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme a day after Mr Kuranchie’s conviction.