General News of Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Source: mynewsgh.com

Law students wail as they accuse General Legal Council of massive corruption

Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo

The Inter Faculty Law students union of Ghana is up in arms against the General Legal Council (GLC) for what it calls the unconscionable hardship, inconvenience, and massive corruption being visited on them.

They accuse the council of superintending over corruption and the leakage of law school entrance examination questions, answers and marking scheme which took place on the 27th of July 2018.

In a press statement issued by the students yesterday and copied to MyNewsGh.com, the group said.

"The first issue of concern is the leakage of the entrance Exam that was taken on 27/07/19 at the University of Ghana Campus. It is of great concern and so worrying that the pride of the noble profession is tainted with fraud and corruption. The examination papers were leaked together with its marking scheme earlier before the date of the exam. It is so worrying and appalling that a body like GLC under their watch will get involved with these sorts of illegalities"

It noted that the multiple choice questions were answered on BECE answer booklet which seems so demeaning to them, adding that it is not proper that a highly competitive exam of a sort was organized hastily and full of loopholes.

The group questioned whether the General Legal Council, the regulators of the law school and legal body in Ghana really have any independent examination Body of their own as they have made the public to believe.

The statement further noted ‘’Now in the latest development, Applicants entered the exams hall thoroughly searched, No phones, foreign material or any recording gadget. Students were allowed to enter the hall with only pen because each student is provided with a pencil for shading the right answers. They collected everything including the question papers from candidates after the exams and in less than 24 hours the exam questions are floating everywhere?

‘’This is the highest level of corruption and we have lost trust in the so-called independent body’’

They are therefore calling on the General Legal Council, the Chief Justice Mrs. Sophia Akuffo, The Attorney General – Madam Gloria Akuffo, President of the Republic of Ghana and the president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to help them fight the injustices in legal education.

The group also made some proposals including the cancelation of the leaked examination, that students be allowed to take their professional courses in their Faculties, online or with private schools, that a “leak proof” qualifying exam be administered to these students using the regular timetable (at the end of one year), the dissolution of the Independent Examination Council as with they have proven to be a discredited body with no integrity and high level of incompetence and that each LLB holder be eligible to apply for and take the leak-proof Bar exam.