Isaac Kobina Abban

Infobox Judge
name = Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban

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imagesize =
caption =
office = 9^th Chief Justice of Ghana
(21^st including Gold Coast)
termstart = February 22, 1995
termend = April 21, 2001
nominator =
appointer = Jerry Rawlings
predecessor = Philip Edward Archer
successor = Edward Kwame Wiredu
birthdate = 1933
birthplace =
deathdate = April 21, 2001
deathplace = Accra, Ghana
spouse =

Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban (born 1933) was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 1995 and 2001. He was the ninth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation. [cite web |url=http://www.judicial.gov.gh/history/list%20of%20judicial%20officials/list%20of%20CJ.htm |title=List of Chief Justices |accessdate=2007-04-13 |work=Official Website |publisher=Judicial Service of Ghana]

Electoral Commissioner

Justice Abban was called to the bar on April 18, 1959. While a High Court Judge, he was appointed the electoral commissioner and supervised the controversial 'Union Government (UNIGOV)' referendum on March 30, 1978 during the Supreme Military Council (SMC) era. At a point during the referendum, he went into hiding in fear of his life from the military authorities. [cite web|url=http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/history/index.php?op=postIndependence5 |title= History of Ghana - Post Independence Ghana |accessdate=2007-04-13 |work=50th Independence Anniversary Celebration of Ghana |publisher=Ghana government |quote=In furtherance of the UNIGOV policy, a referendum was held on 30 March 1978 to ascertain the wishes of Ghanaians on the issue. Halfway through the referendum, the Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Justice Isaac Kobina Abban, a judge of the High Court, had to give up his job, flee into hiding apparently to save his life.] This was because he opposed the attempts to rig the UNIGOV referendum by the military SMC government.cite news |url=http://news.africast.com/article.php?newsID=13159&strRegion=West |title=Ghanaian Chief Justice is dead |accessdate=2007-04-13 |publisher=africast.com] He also supervised the 1979 presidential elections that elected Dr Hilla Limann president of the third republic of Ghana.

Chief Justice

He left for Seychelles where he worked as the Chief Justice. On his return to Ghana, he rejoined the Judicial Service of Ghana. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ghana and later on February 22, 1995, he was made the Chief Justice by the President, Jerry Rawlings.

Death

Justice Abban was due to retire on May 1, 2001, for health reasons. [cite news |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=14604 |title=Chief Justice Retires |accessdate=2007-04-17 |work=General News of Tuesday, 10 April 2001 |publisher=Ghana Home Page] He died a few days before that on April 21, 2001 in Accra, Ghana at the age of 67. [cite news |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=14783 |title= Chief Justice Abban Is Dead |accessdate=2007-04-13 |date=22 April 2001 |work=General News of Sunday, 22 April 2001 |publisher=Ghana Home Page]

Notes

ee also

*Supreme Court of Ghana
*Judiciary of Ghana

External links

* [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/dsp_image.php?id=52232670 Picture of Justice I.K. Abban]

Persondata
NAME= Abban, Isaac Kobina Donkor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Former Chief Justice of Ghana
DATE OF BIRTH= 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH= April 21, 2001
PLACE OF DEATH= Accra, Ghana