Chief Justice Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban
By Julien Durup, a student of history
Justice Abban was the 17th Chief Justice of the Seychelles and the third one after independence. He was born in 1933 in Gold Coast now Ghana. Kobina, one of his given names, denotes that he is from the Akan tribe and that he was born on a Tuesday.
Abban studied law and was called to the bar in 1959. After graduation he worked with the “Aumog Chambers” in Cape Coast, which the Portuguese called “Cabo Corso”. After a successful career he was appointed as a judge. In the 1970s Ebban became a High Court Judge. During his tenure of office he was appointed electoral commissioner and supervised the controversial referendum of 30 March 1978 instigated by the military dictatorial government of Colonel Ignatiu Katu Acheampong.
Chief Justice Issac Kobina Donkor Abban
Abban brought his opposition to this referendum and refused to comply with directives of Acheampong. By doing so, he discredited the ruling military powers. Fearing for his life, he went into hiding and was given refuge by a leading bishop. The referendum led to a large rebellion against the ruling military powers and the downfall of the military.
Acheampong came to power on 13 January 1972 through a coup d’état after overthrowing the democratically elected government of Dr Kofi Busia. During his dictatorship Acheampong promulgated many historical changes: Two of his bizarre changes are: he proclaimed himself General; he changed from driving on the left to the right-hand drive. Napoleon did the same thing in France. Acheampong was later deposed in a palace coup on 5 July 1978 and was executed by firing squad in June 1979 after the 4 June revolution that brought Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings to power.
Abban left Ghana in 1990 to take up the post of Chief Justice of the Seychelles. In 1993 he returned to his country. Two years later Jerry Rawlings appointed him as Chief Justice and he became the longest serving Chief Justice of Ghana.
In the Seychelles he befriended Princess Huguette Prempeh, the granddaughter of King Otumfuo Nana Prempeh I, (whose original throne name was Kwaka Dua III Asuma) who was exiled in the Seychelles in 1900. Princess Huguette Prempeh spoke fluently the Kreol, the prestigious Ashanti dialect and Italian languages. As an African Princess Huguette was not recognised as such in the Seychelles even though she spent a long time at the Royal household in Ashanti. The only African princess who spent her life between the British Royal ménage and her homeland in Africa was Princess Sarah Forbes Benetta of the Royal West African dynasty. She was captured by King Ghezo of Dahomey in 1848 and was taken to England and presented as a gift to Queen Victoria.
While still in the Seychelles Abban met another Ghanaian, Martin K Budu-Kwatiah, Martin was amongst those who were persecuted by the regime of Acheampong and sought refuge in England and later came and settled in the Seychelles. He was well known at La Digue. Martin later went to Ghana to testify at the “National Reconciliation Commission” about his brutal treatment sustained under Archeampong. Abban did not testify but described his ordeal in a letter the committee and explaining how he evaded death.
While he was Chief Justice of Ghana, Abban presided on many controversial cases. He was criticised for his ruling that gave all the registered voters the right to participate in the elections even though some did not have the new documents of identifications.
When he arrived in the Seychelles Abban was in poor health, with acute Hypertension. Later while in Ghana he went to a conference in Malaysia. There he collapsed with “Renal failure” and went for urgent treatment at the Cromwell Hospital in London, a private hospital now renamed the “Bupa Cromwell Hospital”. He came back weak and unhealthy but still occupied his post of Chief Justice.
On the 7th of January 2001, he sworn in President John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor. Kufuor came to power in the December 2000 elections, the first peaceful democratic transition of power in Ghana since the country’s Independence in 1957. Immediately after that historical event Abann went to England for treatment. Kufuor approved his retirement on health reasons for 1st May 2001 but he died with acute Renal failure on 21 April 2001 (while still in office) at the Trust (SSNTI) Hospital at Osu Oxford Street, in Accra at the age of 67.
Ref:
- Chief Justice is dead: West Region News
- Chief Justice Retires: Ghana Web
- Julien Durup et Antonio Marie: List of Chief Justices of the Seychelles (unpublished).
- Justice Abban was on Achampong’s Death List: ModernGhana.com
- Kofi Coomson: Chief Justice on death bed.