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HomeHistorySir Kobina Arku Korsah, first Ghanaian Chief Justice - April 18,1956

Sir Kobina Arku Korsah, first Ghanaian Chief Justice – April 18,1956

Sir Kobina Arku Korsah (1894-1967) was the first African Chief Justice of Gold Coast (April 18,1956) and independent Ghana (1957-1963).
Sir Kobina Arku Korsah, first Ghanaian Chief Justice
He was the first Ghanaian alongside Nana Sir Ofori-Atta I to be appointed as members of the Governor`s Executive Council.

He was the youngest person ever to be elected as member of the Gold Coast Legislative Council and the first Boys Scout Commissioner in Ghana.

Sir Arku Korsah was the first Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Ghana, Scottish Constitution (1953-1963).

After the Kulungugu attack on President Kwame Nkrumah in August 1962, Sir Kobina Arku Korsah presided over the trial of five defendants. At the end of that trial, three of the accused were found not guilty and this displeased the Nkrumah government.

He was removed from office by President Nkrumah after he found the defendants in the Kulungugu bombing trial not guilty in December 1963 unconstitutionally.

Born in Saltpond, Sir Korsah was educated at Mfantsipim School, Fourah Bay College (BA degree in 1915), Durham University and London University (LLB in 1919). Korsah won the Cape Coast seat in the 1927 Gold Coast general election.

In addition to his judicial work, Sir Arku Korsah was also a founding member of the Ghana Academy for Arts & Sciences.

He was one of nine Africans to be represented in the Legislative Assembly at the time. He was re-elected for the same seat in 1931 and 1935 general elections.

He died in January 25, 1967.

Source : Ghanaian Museum

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