Mabel Agyemang

Mabel Maame Agyemang (; formerly also Yamoa) is the current Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands.Delana Isles. "New chief justice takes the bench", Turks and Caicos Weekly News, 04 April 2020.Nigel Dakin. "Governor Dakin announces new judicial appointments", GOV.UK, 20 February 2020. An expert superior court judge with a judicial career spanning decades, Agyemang served in the judiciaries of the governments of Ghana, The Gambia and Eswatini prior to her current role in the Turks and Caicos Islands."Helping to deliver justice in Swaziland" , Commonwealth Secretariat She was also the first female Chief Justice of The Gambia."Editorial: Will Appointment of Ghanaian Justice Mabel Agyemang as Chief Justice bring Judicial reform in Gambia?" , Gainako, 23 July 2013."Agyemang Confirmed Chief Justice" , The Daily Observer

Early life and education

Agyemang had her secondary school education at Wesley Girls Senior High School in Cape Coast. She attended the University of Ghana and then furthered her education at the Ghana School of Law (Professional Law Course).

Judicial career

Justice Agyemang was called to the Ghanaian Bar in 1987 and joined the Bench shortly after. As a Ghanaian judge, she served in various judicial capacities and sat in a number of jurisdictions including Accra, Cape Coast, Koforidua, Kumasi, and Tema. She also served as vice-president of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana from 1996 to 2000.Bakare Muritala & Momodou Bah. "Ghanaian judges introduced in The Gambia", GhanaWeb, 12 October 2004. She was elevated to the High Court in 2002."Restore confidence in the Judiciary: JAK to Judges", GhanaWeb, 19 June 2002.

Commonwealth Secretariat Judge

She began working for the Commonwealth Secretariat as an expert judge in 2004, first being sent to The Gambia where she spent four years as a High Court judge."Justice Agyemang Takes Leave of The Gambia", The Point Newspaper, 12 September 2008. During her four-year tenure in The Gambia, Justice Agyemang served the Land, Civil, Commercial and Criminal divisions and successfully completed about 365 files. In 2008, she was seconded to Eswatini where she served for two years in a similar capacity. Her cases in Eswatini spanned both private and public law and included cases on defamation, unlawful arrests, police brutality and electoral disputes. One of her notable judgments in Eswatini was her judgment on the right to free education."SWAZILAND: Judge rules for free education", IRIN Africa, 25 March 2009. Justice Agyemang returned to The Gambia in 2010, still with the Commonwealth Secretariat, as an expert Appeal Court judge."Four new judges sworn-in" , The Daily Observer

Chief Justice of The Gambia

She was appointed Chief Justice of The Gambia in August 2013."Ghanaian To Be Sworn In As The Chief Justice Of Gambia" , Peace FM Online, 31 July 2013. Her appointment was widely seen as an inspired choice as she is seen by the international community as an experienced and independent minded judge."British High Commissioner Comments on Appointment of new Chief Justice", The Point Newspaper, 12 August 2013. She served until her abrupt removal in February 2014. There was no official reason given by the Gambian government as to the cause of dismissal."2014 Human Rights Reports: The Gambia", US Department of State., Kibaaro News, 4 February 2014."Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang removed", The Point Newspaper, 6 February 2014. It is suspected by many in the international judicial community that her dismissal was tied to differences over a human rights abuse case"Judicial Independence and Human Rights Issues: Gambia", CMJA News (Newsletter of the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association), Vol. 35, April 2014. and her insistence on judicial independence.Sidi Sanneh, "One More Victim of a Patently Vindictive Dictator", 8 March 2014.

Back to Ghana (Court of Appeal)

Upon returning to her native Ghana, Justice Agyemang was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal."President Mahama swears in five Court of Appeal judges", Daily Graphic, 8 January 2015. In October 2015, while speaking at the opening ceremony of a new judicial complex in Accra, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama cited Justice Agyemang as an example of highly respected judges within the Ghanaian judiciary."Avoid tagging entire judiciary as corrupt – Mahama", Ghana Business News, 9 October 2015.

Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands

In February 2020, Nigel Dakin, Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands, announced the appointment of Justice Agyemang as Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands. In his announcement speech, Governor Dakin noted of Agyemang's sudden departure from The Gambia in 2014: He went on to relay, as he stated, "evidence provided by the Bar Council in The Gambia", of her value and influence in the role:

Justice Agyemang was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands on March 30, 2020, and took office on April 1, 2020.

Personal life

Justice Agyemang is a devout Christian and is married with two children.

See also

Judiciary of Ghana Commonwealth Secretariat

References