Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo
Jurors yesterday declared another indefinite strike over unpaid allowances due them since February last year.
The jurors decided to abandon their duty after a promise to have the 10 months’ allowance arrears paid in May was not fulfilled.
A source who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity said the jurors decided to embark on the strike due to the non-payment of their allowance for February 2023 and from July 2023 to May 2024.
The source said the situation has made it practically impossible for jurors to continue to pre-finance their transportation to and from court on daily basis.
The strike has affected all indictable cases – murder, rape, manslaughter cases as the court is enjoined to hear those cases with the presence of a seven-member jury.
Some of the cases that have been affected include the trial of Daniel Asiedu aka Sexy Don Don, who is accused of killing JB Danquah-Adu, the then Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region.
Another is the trial of Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangdi, who are accused of conspiracy and murder of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama in 2015.
The strike also affected the trial of Richard Appiah, a footballer who allegedly killed two boys and kept their body parts in a refrigerator at Alaska, a suburb of Abesim near Sunyani in the Bono Region.
Another trial that has been impacted by the striking jurors is the case of two boys accused of killing an 11-year-old boy, Ishmael Abdallah, at Kasoa in April 2021.
This is the first time the jurors are striking over unpaid allowances this year.
Last year, they held a series of strikes to demand payment of the arrears, with a Justice of the Supreme Court who was sitting as an additional High Court Judge at the time intervening by personally bringing the issue to the attention of the Chief Justice for resolution.
It is not yet clear how long the strike will take and whether urgent steps have been taken to address the issue to ensure justice delivery is not delayed.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak