The Supreme Court has affirmed the decision of the Winneba High Court which ordered the reinstatement of the dismissed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Mawutor Avoke.
The High Court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh, on February 20, 2022, also ordered the UEW to reinstate five principal officers of the University who were dismissed together with Prof Avoke in August 2017.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court dismissed three suits filed against the officers and the decision of the Winneba High Court and fined the applicants GHC10,000 each for wasting the Court’s time.
Commenting on the latest decision, immediate past UTAG President of UEW, Dr. Frimpong Kwakyire Duku, said the applicants are not known members of the University Community.
An elated Dr. Frimpong Duku said he was hopeful that the ”decision of the Apex Court will bring closure to the legal tussles”.
The Immediate Past UTAG President of UEW, Dr. Frimpong Kwakyire Duku.
Meanwhile, the reinstated Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Mawutor Avoke, has indicated that he is committed to working for reconciliation and development of the University.
Background
The Winneba High Court ordered the reinstatement of Professor Mawutor Avoke as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).
The court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh, also ordered that the four other principal officers, who were also “unlawfully”, dismissed are to be reinstated to their former grade.
They are also to be paid all their salary arrears from the date they were unlawfully removed from their offices, the court ordered on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
In 2017, the Winneba High Court ordered Prof Avoke, to step aside until the case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council was determined.
The case was taken to court by one Supi Kofi Kwayera, who insisted that the Vice-Chancellor and the Finance Officer, were operating under the university’s defunct governing council.
The plaintiff argued that the University Council’s mandate expired in November 2013, but the Ministry of Education failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university and rather allowed the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue in the functions of a properly formed Governing Council.
Supi Kofi Kwayera also alleged financial and procurement irregularities on the part of Prof Avoke.
The court, in July 2017, then ordered Prof Avoke to step aside until a case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council was determined.
Also in July, Prof Avoke, along with four others; the Finance Officer, Dr. Theophilus Senyo Ackorlie; Daniel Tetteh, Mary Dzimey and Frank Owusu Boateng, were interdicted by the university after it emerged that some vital documents at some offices at the centre of an ongoing investigation had disappeared.
They were then found guilty of procurement and other financial irregularities in December 2017.
The irregularities had to do with the monies paid to the contractors of the North Campus Roads project.
On May 2, 2018, the Winneba High Court, presided over by Mr Justice George Atto Mills-Graves, held that the Governing Council of the UEW that appointed Prof Avoke as Vice-Chancellor overstayed its tenure as stipulated by law.
