A former Supreme Court Judge, Justice V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe is reported dead at age 95.
He is reported to have died Friday morning in Accra after a short illness.
Vincent Cyril Richard Arthur Charles (V.C.R.A.C) Crabbe was born October 29, 1923 at Ussher town in Accra, Gold Coast, he was educated at the Government Junior and Senior Boys Schools in Accra.
He attended the Accra Academy for the Cambridge Junior and Senior School Certificates. He went to London to study Economics at the City of London College Moorgate, London 1950-1952 and was a former Professor of Law at the University of West Indies.
Crabbe until his death was a Professor of Law at Mountcrest University College in Accra.
In August 1952, he was admitted to the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple to read law.
He completed the normal three-year course in two years and was called to the Bar on the 8th February, 1955 having being granted a dispensation. The same year he was enrolled as a member of the Gold Coast Bar, in order to maintain his Seniority at the Bar.
He progressed from Assistant Crown Counsel to Parliamentary Counsel, the first African to be appointed as such and ended up as a Senior Instructor at the International Law Development Centre in Rome, Italy.
In between, he has held the post of First Parliamentary Counsel and Constitutional Advisor to the Uganda Government, Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat Scheme for Legislative draftsmen for the West African Region, Southern Africa Region, the Caribbean Region and a Professor of Legislative drafting at the Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, University of West Indies.
Crabbe was Special Commissioner to the 1968 Constitutional Commission; Legislative Draftsmen to the 1969 Constituent Assembly which drafted the 1969 Constitution of Ghana. He was the Chairman of the 1979 Constituent Assembly and drafted the 1979 Constitution of Ghana.
He worked with the Constitutional Review Commission of Kenya and was Leader of the group of Draftspersons who drafted the Kenya Constitution.
He did work the Zambian Constitutional Commission for the drafting of the Zambian Constitution as well with the Fiajoe Review Commission for the review of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. With Justice P.N. Bhagwati, former Chief Justice of India and Justice Eso of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to advise on the setting up of the Constitutional Court in South Africa.
Source: thepressradio.com
