Justice Austin Neeabeohe Evans Amissah (decd.)

Occupation: Legal Consultant/Judge.

Born: Accra, Ghana; October 3, 1930.

Educated: Achimota School, Ghana; St. Bees School,

Cumbria, England;

Oxford University (B.A., 1954; M.A. 1959);

Lincoln's Inn, London (Barrister-at-Law, 1955).

Professional Career:

1955-62 Crown-Counsel/State Attorney, Attorney Generals Department Ghana;

1962-66 Director of Public Prosecutions, Ghana;

1966 (Feb-Oct) Acting Attorney General;

1966-76 Judge of the Court of Appeal, Ghana (except in 1969-71, the final appellate court in Ghana); retiring voluntarily from the Court on December 31, 1976;

1977-78 Legal Consultant - dealing with investment and commercial matters;

1979 Commissioner (Minister) of Justice and Attorney General, and Commissioner for Local Government, Ghana;

1979 (Oct.) resumed as Legal Consultant in Ghana

1981- Judge of the Court of Appeal, Botswana; President of the Court (since Jan.1988);

1982- Also pursuing professional activities as Legal Consultant from base in London.

1992- Arbitrator, in case between an American corporation as claimant and Republic of Ghana and Ghana Railways Corporation as respondents.

Other positions Held in Ghana

1969-74 Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana (on secondment from the Ghana Court of Appeal).

1967-82 Chairman Of Sole Commissioner of several Commissions or Committees of Enquiry, on matters including: the organisation and operation of Ghana State Insurance Corporation; the External Loans contracted by Ghana Government between 1977 and 1978; advising the President and Parliament on the remuneration of the principal officers of State; advising on the review of the Master Agreement and other agreements entered into between the Government of Ghana, Valco, the World Bank and governmental agencies in the U.S. and U.K in connection with the financing and construction of the Volta River Project;

1969-75 Chairman, Ghana Law Reform Commission;

1970-82 Member of several Councils and Committees, including: Council for Legal Reporting 0970-72) - (Chairman .. 1974-76); Council of the University of Cape Coast and Ch9.irman, Academic Advisory Committee (1971-76); Legal Class Appointments Board (1968-72) - (Chairman, 1979); Police Council (1979-81); Ghana Medic81 School Council (1980-82);

1969-81 Managing Trustee, Valco Fund (Trust fund established by the Volta Aluminium Co. Ltd. of Ghana, subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminium of U.S) for the promotion of education, health social welfare etc. in Ghana).

1977-78 Director VAC Ltd the largest private commercial concern in Ghana.

International Activity:

1968-79 Member, U.N.Expert Group on Tax Treaties between Developed and Developing Countries; (Chairman of Group, 1975-79);

1971-75 Member, Executive Committee of we Commonwealth Legal Education Association;

1973 (Jan-Dec) Fellow, Woordow Wilson International Center for Scholars, (based in the Smithsonian Institution Building) Washington D.C, U.S.A. (during period also conducted some seminars 2nd lectures at the Havard Law School, Intemational Section);

1974 (J an-June) Visiting Professor of Law, University of Virginia Law School, Charlottesville, Virgini3, U.S.A;

1974 Member of Advisory Committee appointed by the U.S.National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C., U.S.A on the future of the Peace Corps;

1974 Member of three-man Committee appointed by Commonwealth Secreatary General under chairmanship of Sir Roy Marshall (with Professor John Ll. Edwards as third member) to review forms of cooperation in legal matters within the Commonwealth;

1979 Chairman of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva seminar on Trade Mark problems in Developing Countries;

1992 (Oct~Dec) Leader, Commomwealth Observer Mission to South Africa;

1993 Chairman, Presidential Commission of Inquiry (with Sir Kenneth Keith of New Zealand and Justice Muhammadu Uwais of Nigeria) on the Araly Point Explosion, Sri Lanka.

Clients provided with Legal Consultancy Services include:

Bank of Ghana (1977-78 and 1980);

Social Security Bank, Ghana {1971-78); National Investment Bank, Ghat13; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana (1978); Ministry of finance, Ghana (1980); Volta River Authority (VRA), Gha;!3 (1980-82); Selmer-SalJde A/S of Norway 0980-); FMO, the Netherlands (1981); Nordic Fisheries Management Company (NORFrCO) A/S of Norway (1984-); WIPO,

Geneva, (1985): consultant on the compilation of The Situation of Industrial Property in the Countries of Africa (published in 1985;; African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States General S8cretar1at, Brussels (ACP) (1987-91); Elders Re.source5 Finance Limited (ERFU, Australia, through their lawyers Freehill, Hol1ingdale & Page in Perth, Western Australia: (1988*90); Fidelity Bank of Philadelphia, U.S.A. (1990);

1989-90 Commonwealth Secretariat, Technical Assistance Group, London: advised the Government of Swaziland in negotiations with foreign companies and the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) over transfer/acquisition of shares and public policy issues involved in the ownership of Usutu Pulp Co. Ltd., the 13~gest single industry in Swaziland;

1991 Commonwealth Secretariat assignment as Senior Legal Consultant to advise the Preferential trade area of Eastern and Southern African States (PTA) with respect to its Tribunal settlement of disputes between member States and with respect to its Appeals Board for the hearing of appeals of staff members from the administrative decisions of the Secretary-General;

1992 Currently engaged in USAID funded project to provide legal infrastructural support for financial sector in The Gambia, involving drafting of financial and commercial legislation (together with Dr.Albert Fiadjoe of the Law Faculty, Barbados, University of West Indies);

1993 Engaged to review the scope and functions of the Ministry of Justice, The Gambia.

1994 Currently engaged by Commonwealth Secretariat (ELAS) (with Professor Ross Cranston of the London School of Economics) to review the Ghana Companies Code in relation to the legislation on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Membership of Professional Organisations etc:

Member: - Ghana Bar Association;

- British Institute of International and Comparative Law;

- American Society of International Law;

- International Bar Association;

- Commonwealth Lawyers Association;

- London Court of International Arbitration - Vice-President of its - Pan African Council;

Associate: - Chartered Institute of Arbitrators;

Fellow: - Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Publications include:

Criminal Procedure in Ghana (Sedco Press) (1932):

Winner of the NOMA Award for Publication in Africa, 1983; also winner of the Ghana Book Award, 1983;

The Contribution of the Courts to Government: A West African View (Clarendon, Oxford University Press) (1982).

Several Articles in Legal Journals, the latest being: "The ACP/EEC Conciliation and Arbitration Rules: Arbitration International 1992 Vo1.8, No.2 page 167.

Marital Status:

Married, 1956, to Stella (nee Mattsson);

one son, Ralph, and two daughters, Tonesan (Amissah-Furbert), and Juliet.