The High Court in Bolgatanga has ordered the reinstatement of Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa as Vice-Chancellor of Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU), ruling that the process used to remove him was unlawful.
The court granted Prof. Alnaa’s application for certiorari, quashing the Governing Council’s decision to terminate his appointment. It also ordered the reinstatement of two senior officers who had been sanctioned alongside him.
The court found that the University’s Governing Council did not have the required quorum when it took the decisions leading to the removal of the Vice-Chancellor and the two officers.
It further ruled that the Special Investigative Committee established by the Council to examine procurement-related matters was improperly constituted.
The two other officers affected are Samuel Aduko, Director of Procurement, and Tom Mboya Asigri, Director of Works and Physical Development. Their demotions and suspensions have also been overturned.
The dispute followed allegations concerning procurement and financial matters, including a GH¢27 million contract involving the supply of computers, furniture, printers and other items. The investigation into those matters preceded the Council’s decision to remove Prof. Alnaa.
However, the court’s ruling focused on the legality of the procedures adopted by the Council rather than determining the substance of the procurement allegations.
Prof. Alnaa had challenged his removal through the court, and the latest judgment clears the way for him and the two officers to return to their respective positions.
The ruling brings a significant legal development to the leadership dispute that has affected the university since the Council’s decision earlier this year.
