Lawyer MPs who misbehave must be punished — Ex-GBA President
By: Rebecca Okine
Former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Yaw Boafo, has called for disciplinary sanctions against Members of Parliament and legal practitioners who engage in unethical or disorderly conduct, stressing that such behavior erodes the credibility of the legal profession.
Speaking at the launch of the 20th Law Students’ Union Week at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Monday, June 23, 2025, Mr. Boafo condemned recent actions by some lawyers in Parliament and in public settings, which he said are clear violations of professional ethics.
He referenced the widely criticized protest at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), where some New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs who are also lawyers sat on the floor in protest of the arrest of the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
“Such conduct is not just inappropriate; it is unethical and tarnishes the image of the legal fraternity,” he noted.
Mr. Boafo also criticized the scenes during the vetting of ministerial nominees on January 30, pointing to the conduct of Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Weija-Gbawe MP Jerry Ahmed Shaib, and MP for Gushegu Alhassan Tampuli, all of whom are lawyers. He described their actions as “chaotic and unbecoming.”
“For me, I think, and I still believe, that lawyers who engage in any form of wrongdoing should face consequences—whether they are politicians, public officials, or chiefs,” he stated. Mr. Boafo stressed that holding high public office should not shield any lawyer from the disciplinary standards required by their professional code.
