Chief Justice meets Italian Ambassador

November 16, 2007 (Page 31)

Story: Mabel Aku Baneseh

THE Italian Ambassador in Ghana, Fibrizio de Agostini, has advocated the abolition of the death penalty in all countries across the world.
According to him, the death penalty was not a solution to murder, so Italy was currently spearheading a debate at the United Nations on its abolition of the death penalty.
Consequently, he said Italy was asking for a moratorium from individual countries, pending the outcome of the debate.
Mr Agostini made these remarks when he called on the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, at her office in Accra yesterday to seek more ideas on the subject.
He conceded that the issue of the abolition of the death penalty was controversial but it was a matter which needed to be tackled now.
Mr Agostini congratulated Mrs Justice Wood on her appointment as the first female Chief Justice of Ghana and accordingly extended an invitation to her to visit Italy to study its court system.
Mrs Justice Wood said although the death penalty was in the country's statute books, it had not been implemented for a long time now.
She called for an intensive debate on the matter, as well as the need to study the trend in the international community.
The Chief Justice urged the Italian government to assist the Judicial Service to establish a court at Tema, which is an industrial hub, to handle the increasing number of cases.
She said there was the need for the establishment of more automated courts in order to preserve evidence.