Samuel Atta Akyea, lead counsel for former National Signals Bureau Director Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife Angela Adjei Boateng has justified his reason to absent himself from court proceedings on Tuesday, August 11 despite the Chief Justice’s directive for the court to proceed with the case albeit legal vacation.
Atta Akyea explained that he simply absented himself from court due to legal vacation.
Speaking on TV3’s Daily Brief, August 11, 2026, he noted that the legal vacation has been set aside for lawyers to rest after actively engaging in trials and will uphold that practice.
According to him, only emergencies and consequential motions can be heard during legal vacations and not main trials, insisting that virtual meetings are being held even in such instances.
“We are in the legal vacation and if you pay regard to the history of legal vacation, it is very obvious that they are not intended for substantial cases before the court like hard-heard criminal cases.
“They are intended that the lawyers should rest and where there are emergencies, some consequential motions that should have the attention of the Judiciary, the vacation Judge will sit and listen to the motions.
“Now, it is even become virtual that you can sit in the comfort of your law firm and move the motion for the Judge to determine one way or the other,” he stated.
Atta Akyea further questioned why the Chief Justice would direct that some “special cases” be heard during the legal vacation, noting that the Chief Justice’s action is geared towards achieving some “special needs.”
“So, we do not understand why in the name of expedited trial and ambulance trials, some special courts should sit to deal with some special cases probably to achieve some special ends. We do not understand it,” he remarked.
He maintained that his legal team will not subdue and support what he termed as “a complete aberration of the known practice of the court.”
Lawyers of Kwabena Adu-Boahene failed to show up in court on Tuesday, August 11 for the continuation of the trial.
Lead Counsel Samuel Atta Akyea on Wednesday, August 5 petitioned the Chief Justice to withdraw the warrant issued to the Court to sit during the legal vacation citing unavailability of the defence lawyers.
When the case was called, Kwabena Adu-Boahene informed the court that he was oblivious of the whereabouts of his lead counsel, adding that he was not sure Atta Akyea was in the jurisdiction.
He pleaded with the court to indulge them and grant them time in order to touch base with his lawyers.
But Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai indicated that he had communicated with Samuel Atta Akyea and he had been categorical that he would not show up for the case.
“I’ve spoken with counsel who was categorical that he had written to the CJ and GBA that he will exercise his alleged right to not attend court proceedings during the vacation.
This is our position on the matter. The power to determine whether or not courI’ve spoken with counsel who was categorical that he had written to the CJ and GBA that he will exercise his alleged right to not attend court proceedings during the vacation.
“This is our position on the matter. The power to determine whether or not court proceedings wjll be had during the legal vacation is with the CJ and where the CJ directs subject to the inherent power of the judge to control the proceedings in this court. This is supported by order 75 rule 4 which sets out the period for legal vacation and subjects those periods to order 71 rule 1(1).t proceedings wjll be had during the legal vacation is with the CJ and where the CJ directs subject to the inherent power of the judge to control the proceedings in this court.
“This is supported by order 75 rule 4 which sets out the period for legal vacation and subjects those periods to order 71 rule 1(1),” the Deputy Attorney-General argued.
