Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has charged stakeholders in justice delivery to help deepen the nexus between Law, Ethics, Assets and Due process and the quality of justice delivery.
“It is my fervent desire and commitment that as we do so, the wheels of justice will stop grinding slowly, and begin to grind efficiently, effectively and with increasing finality, so that court users will appreciate the role of the courts in the stability, wealth creation, and security of the nation.”
She said this in a message during a Church Service organised by the Judicial Service to usher in the 66th legal year which is under the theme ‘Building the Pillars of Justice’.
According to the Chief Justice, the pillars of justice that will be in focus are Law, Ethics, Assets and Due Process’ – giving the acronym ‘LEAD’, which is easy to remember.
She said the theme has been chosen to draw all stakeholders into engagement with these four elements in justice delivery, in order to enhance the quality of work done in our courts.
“As we focus on building the pillars of law, ethics and due process, increased attention will be given to consistent training and capacity building for all staff, and strategic regulatory interventions with external support service providers. For the citizenry, there will be a focus on demystifying the work of courts, to increase integrity and accountability of the court system to those that we are required to serve,” Justice Torkornoo indicated.
She noted that the Judicial Service had hoped that the hearing of cases virtually for courts fitted with the facilities, would continue after the 2022 vacation but lack of financial support affected the achievement of this objective.
The CJ however, expressed the commitment to strongly engage with all stakeholders to achieve this objective.
Citizen’s Interest
The Anglican Bishop of Cape Coast Rt. Rev. Dr. Victor Reginald Atta-Baffoe, in a sermon called Judges to, at all times, act in the interest of the citizens of the nation if the Judicial Service is to build the pillars of justice as projected for the 2023/2024 legal year.
According to him, “we are created in the image and likeness of God and each person has a dignity which is not lessened for any reason. Our human dignity is the basis for all our rights, the first of which, is the right to life.”
He said people have the right and duty to participate in decisions that directly affect them and actively shape their lives and their own destiny, so, participation in political and social life is a virtue and a requirement for the triumph of justice.
“Be fair in the process of justice delivery. Our human dignity makes us equal in rights. Be transparent and open in your actions when delivering justice. Be impartial and neutral in the decision-making process because right relationship means giving to others what is owed to them. We must recognize and remember what we owe to those who cannot demand it,” Rt. Rev. Dr. Atta-Boffoe added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak