Mabel Agyemang

{{Short description|Chief Justice of The Turks and Caicos Islands}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Her Ladyship Justice

| name = {{ubl|Mabel Maame Agyemang}}

| honorific-suffix =

| image = TCI-New-CJ.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption =

| birth_place = Ghana

| nationality = {{flagicon|GHA}} Ghanaian

| alma_mater = {{ubl|Ghana School of Law; University of Ghana|Wesley Girls' High School}}

| occupation = Judge

| profession = Lawyer, Judge

| office =

| predecessor2 = Joseph Wowo

| successor1 =

| predecessor1 = Margaret Ramsay-Hale

| office1 = Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands

| termstart1 = 1 April 2020

| termend1 =

| termend =

| termend2 = 3 February 2014

| termstart2 = 1 August 2013

| office2 = Chief Justice of The Gambia

| predecessor =

| successor =

| termstart =

| successor2 = Ali Nawaz Chowhan

| birth_name = Mabel Betty Banful

}}

Mabel Maame Agyemang ({{née|Banful}}; formerly also Yamoa) is the current Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands.Delana Isles. [https://tcweeklynews.com/new-chief-justice-takes-the-bench-p10499-127.htm "New chief justice takes the bench"], Turks and Caicos Weekly News, 04 April 2020.Nigel Dakin. [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/governor-dakin-announces-new-judicial-appointments "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.[http://secretariat.thecommonwealth.org/news/34580/34581/219123/250110mabelagyemangcftcprofile.htm "Helping to deliver justice in Swaziland"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223101017/http://secretariat.thecommonwealth.org/news/34580/34581/219123/250110mabelagyemangcftcprofile.htm |date=2014-02-23 }}, Commonwealth Secretariat She was also the first female Chief Justice of The Gambia.[http://gainako.com/?p=1425 "Editorial: Will Appointment of Ghanaian Justice Mabel Agyemang as Chief Justice bring Judicial reform in Gambia?"], Gainako, 23 July 2013.[http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/agyemang-confirmed-chief-justice "Agyemang Confirmed Chief Justice"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812151045/http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/agyemang-confirmed-chief-justice |date=2013-08-12 }}, The Daily Observer

Early life and education

Agyemang had her secondary school education at Wesley Girls Senior High School in Cape Coast.{{Cite web|last=Tabbey-Botchwey|first=Adom|date=2020-07-02|title=40 trailblazing GEY HEY old girls who made history as the first women in their fields|url=https://braperucci.africa/40-trailblazing-gey-hey-old-girls-who-made-history-as-the-first-women-in-their-fields/|access-date=2021-01-09|website=Bra Perucci Africa|language=en-US}} She attended the University of Ghana and then furthered her education at the Ghana School of Law (Professional Law Course).{{Cite web|title=UG Alumna, Her Ladyship Justice Mabel Agyemang appointed as Chief Justice of Turks and Caicos Islands. {{!}} University of Ghana|url=https://www.ug.edu.gh/news/ug-alumna-her-ladyship-justice-mabel-agyemang-appointed-chief-justice-turks-and-caicos-islands|access-date=2021-01-09|website=www.ug.edu.gh}}

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. [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=67550 "Ghanaian judges introduced in The Gambia"], GhanaWeb, 12 October 2004. She was elevated to the High Court in 2002.[http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=24947 "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.[http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/2008/9/12/justice-agyemang-takes-leave-of-the-gambia "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.[http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=83640 "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.[http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/four-new-judges-sworn-in "Four new judges sworn-in"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222051532/http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/four-new-judges-sworn-in |date=2014-02-22 }}, The Daily Observer

= Chief Justice of The Gambia =

She was appointed Chief Justice of The Gambia in August 2013.[http://news.peacefmonline.com/pages/news/201307/170386.php "Ghanaian To Be Sworn In As The Chief Justice Of Gambia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221224058/http://news.peacefmonline.com/pages/news/201307/170386.php |date=2014-02-21 }}, 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.[http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/british-high-commissioner-comments-on-appointment-of-new-chief-justice "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.[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2014/af/236362.htm?goMobile=0 "2014 Human Rights Reports: The Gambia"], US Department of State.[http://kibaaro.com/gambias-chief-justice-removed/ "Gambia's Chief Justice Removed"], Kibaaro News, 4 February 2014.[http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/chief-justice-mabel-agyemang-removed "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[http://www.jca.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CMJA-News-35.pdf "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, [http://sidisanneh.blogspot.ca/2014/03/one-more-victim-of-patently-vindictive.html?m=1 "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.[http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/37739-president-mahama-swears-in-five-new-appeals-court-justices.html "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.[https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2015/10/09/avoid-tagging-entire-judiciary-as-corrupt-mahama/ "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: {{blockquote|It is worth saying something about her departure from her role in The Gambia. This is a badge of significant honour. She stood up to an autocrat — one of Africa's most notorious strongmen — Yahya Jammeh — whose 22-year rule only ended in 2017. Through integrity and courage, she attempted to protect the Judiciary from an overarching executive.}} 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:

{{blockquote|text=During her tenure as Chief Justice, she had firm control of the judiciary, as well as the support of the judges, the Bar Association and the judicial staff. She instilled a culture of discipline and professionalism in the Judiciary. The attitude to work by judicial officers dramatically changed, and they became more professional and effective. Punctuality was expected of everyone and she led by example. She introduced reforms to ensure access to justice to litigants and to minimize the unnecessary delays in the dispensation of justice. She initiated the amendment of the Rules of Court to ensure expeditious determination of cases. She was a driver of innovation and reform, introducing ICT solutions to Judges for case law research amongst other things.

It was regrettable that despite her excellent and successful tenure, the President at the time unlawfully terminated her services to the dismay and disappointment of the entire legal fraternity. At that period of time, the then autocratic President was doing everything possible to control the Judiciary. Indeed, the departure of Justice Mabel Agyemang was sorely felt, as she left an indelible mark in our judicial sector.

|character=Bar Council of The Gambia|author=Nigel Dakin |title="Governor Dakin announces new judicial appointments" (2020)}}

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.