Chief Justice swears in judges, magistrates

August 28, 2008 (Centre Spread)

Eleven circuit court judges and eight magistrates have been sworn in by the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood.
On behalf of President J. A. Kufuor, the chief justice also swore in Ms Irene Charity Danquah as a Court of Appeal Judge.
The chief justice appealed to judges to discharge cases before them impartially and in accordance with the law.
“You must assert your independence as judges and insulate yourselves from influence which may unbalance the scales of justice,” she said.
Mrs Justice Wood reminded judges that acting contrary to their judicial oath amounted to dishonourable conduct.
According to the chief justice, “a show of disrespect to court users, high handedness and abuse or improper use of power, particularly the coercive powers of the court, augurs ill for the proper conduct of court business”.
She reminded judges and magistrates that their appointment was an honour and for that matter it was important for them to live above reproach.
Touching on adjournment of cases, Mrs Justice Wood said an alarming trend where judges and magistrates created mountains of partly heard cases had reared its ugly head.
She explained that one was not required to undergo any formal training in judicial case management to appreciate the fact that heaping cases was a retrogressive way of running courts in this globalised world.
She noted that such acts created enormous difficulties for key actors in the justice delivery system and stated that the public, who are expected to be served diligently, ended up going in and out of court endlessly without any clue on when their cases would be completed.
She emphasised that “such dangerous practices create untold financial, emotional and psychological difficulties for court users,” adding that “I hope as adjudicators, you will have such a strong passion for justice and be sensitive to the needs of disputants who appear before you”.
She congratulated Ms Justice Danquah and said, “Ms Danquah has demonstrated that she has the skills and professional acumen needed to take up this new and exciting challenge”.
She said Ms Danquah had expertise in business law, intellectual property law and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) among others.
Mrs Justice Wood urged lawyers to join the bench in order to build a strong judiciary for the country.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, said the judges were being sworn in at a time when Ghana was seen as a beacon of hope for Africa.
He congratulated the judiciary on its independence in the administration of justice and urged it to continue with its good works.
Mr Ghartey also appealed to judges to administer justice with mercy.
A representative of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr Benson Nutsukpui, pledged the full support of the Bar to the Bench.
He said the association had received complaints from some members, who said they had been mistreated by some judges and magistrates and, therefore, appealed to judges and magistrates to respect lawyers.