The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Sunyani Technical University (STU), Justice Solomon Korantwi-Barimah, is facing legal action for alleged academic dishonesty.
Charles Addo Odokyi, a former student of STU, has filed a lawsuit against Korantwi-Barimah at the Commercial Court of the Sunyani High Court, challenging the legitimacy of his PhD and his tenure as Pro-VC.
Odokyi seeks an injunction to prevent Korantwi-Barimah from holding himself out as a PhD holder or Pro-VC, and demands a declaration that his promotion to associate professor in 2020 was invalid.
The lawsuit, initiated on August 29, 2024, accuses Korantwi-Barimah of presenting a degree from Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, which the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) had evaluated as equivalent to a doctoral degree in Ghana.
Odokyi argues that this qualification does not meet GTEC’s requirements for a PhD, essential for serving as a Pro-VC or Vice-Chancellor in Ghana. The court, presided over by Justice Joyce Boahen, has adjourned the case to October 26, 2024.
Odokyi is also demanding that Korantwi-Barimah be ordered to refund all salaries and emoluments received from September 2016 to date, due to his alleged academic misrepresentation.
The plaintiff is challenging the legitimacy of Korantwi-Barimah’s appointment and is calling for a review of the STU appointing board’s adherence to GTEC’s harmonized statutes.
