Kobina Arku Korsah


Sir Kobina Arku Korsah was the first Chief Justice of Ghana in 1956.

Biography

Born in Saltpond, Korsah was educated at Mfantsipim School, Fourah Bay College, Durham University and London University.
In 1942, Nana Sir Ofori Atta and Sir Arku Korsah were the first two Ghanaians to be appointed to the Legislative Council by the then Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Alan Burns. Korsah was one of the 20 founding members of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959. After the Kulungugu attack on President Kwame Nkrumah in August 1962, Sir 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. Nkrumah sacked Sir Arku as Chief Justice in December 1963 unconstitutionally.

Family

One of his sons, Roger who was a high court judge in Ghana, moved to Zimbabwe where he became a Supreme Court Judge. He died in February 2017.