Mrs. Efua Ghartey
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has reiterated its call for the Judiciary to be insulated from political interferences to enable it deliver justice effectively and efficiently.
President of the Association, Mrs. EfuaGhartey who made the call said an independent judiciary is the nation’s bulwark of fairness, credibility, and transparency, and that constitutional safeguards must be strengthened so judges face scrutiny only through fair, well-governed processes, not political expediency or vendettas.
She urged the country to rise above partisanship and formulate clear guidelines and procedures for the removal of Superior Court judges in the country, hoping that superior court judges will be well appraised of the entire process before ever being subjected to removal.
She cited the removal of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from Office as Chief Justice, indicating that despite concerns about the absence of clear guidelines for the removal of a Chief Justice, the 5-member committee set up by the President went ahead to recommend her removal.
Mrs. Ghartey was speaking at the 44th Anniversary Remembrance Service for the three murdered justices of the High Court in 1982.
Justices Fred Poku Sarkodee, Cecilia Koranteng-Addow and Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong as well as a retired Army Officer, Major Sam Acquah, were abducted on night of June 30 1982 during the curfew hours.
Their bodies were found on July 1, 1982, in a state of decomposition at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains.
The bodies had been doused with petrol and set on fire but divine intervention, through raindrops that night quenched the burning bodies before they were discovered.
The PNDC, publicly declaring itself to be horrified by the crime, and yielding to strong public pressure, set up a Special Investigation Board (SIB) with a former Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Samuel Azu Crabbe, as chairman, to investigate the murders.
The SIB made a number of findings, leading to the prosecution of Joachim Amartey Kwei, a member of the PNDC, L/Cpls Samuel Amedeka, Samuel Michael Senyah, Johnny Dzandu and Tekpor, who are ex-soldiers.
Unfulfilled Promises
Mrs. Ghartey in a message noted that in spite of Ghana making some gains over the years, there still exist some human rights violations, unfulfilled promises, avoidable vendettas, and excessive political polarisation.
She observed that the nation sometimes recycles problems and lack the willpower to execute the solutions, citing the recent flooding that affected many homes and offices in Accra, coupled with property destruction and loss of lives, “especially that of helpless children.”
“Solutions have been offered, yet we still await the execution of a holistic and efficient remedy. Let us resolve as a nation to do ourselves proud and humbly walk away from divisive acts in any form or shape, as we are all one nation with one destiny,” Mrs. Ghartey added.
Serve With Courage
Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, in a sermon called on judges and lawyers to recognise their unique responsibility to uphold impartiality and resist political pressures that can distort outcomes and deepen national divisions.
He said the establishment of the remembrance service for the three judges is a justified endeavour as it does not only honour the memory of these justices who died for their courageous service to the nation and humanity, but it also serves as a reminder that judges must serve with courage, dignity and be fair to all manner of persons.
He warned that when lawyers connive to defraud their clients, and when justice becomes available only to the highest bidder, public confidence in the rule of law crumbles.
He, therefore urged the judiciary to protect widows, orphans and the poor whose rights are frequently most at risk, arguing that failing to do so turns the remembrance service into hypocrisy.
“We cannot continue to hold remembrance services if we allow injustice to be served to that old widow, that orphan,” he said.
“May we not just honour God with our lips. May we not come here to create a semblance of worship when our hearts are far from that which is righteous,” Rt. Rev. Dr. Kwakye.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak