President Akufo-Addo, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney General with the Judges at the Jubilee House. Pix by Gifty Ama Lawson
President Akufo-Addo has defended his decision to appoint 16 new Justices to the Appeals Court.
He says it was in direct response to the backlog of cases which has become a challenge to the court system and the establishment of new courts across the country.
According to him, these backlog of cases had become a burden that required urgent attention from the courts, and improving the number of judges was one of the very critical measures to deal with it.
“The significant expansion of the personnel of the Court of Appeal, occasioned by the appointment of these 16 new Justices of Appeal, is a direct response to the challenge of an overburdened court system,” he said when he swore in the new judges at the presidency.
The new Justices of the Court of Appeal are made up of four females and 12 males, including Justices Gifty Dekyem, Lydia Osei Marfo, Mariam Agyeman Gyasi Jawhary and Yaa Onyameye Gyahobo.
The others are Justices Kofi Akrowiah, Richard Mac Kogyapwah, Kwasi Boakye, Alexander Osei Futu, Francis Obiri, Aboaqye Tandoh and Charles Gyami Danquah.
The rest are Justices Francis Koffie, Charles William Leopold Bartels Zwennes, Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong, David Kwabena Adade Boafo and Dr. Poku Adusei.
President Akufo-Addo said it was imperative that innovative solutions were found to expedite the resolution of cases and ensure that justice was delivered in a timely manner.
“This will require not only efficient case management, but also the adoption of new technologies and practices that can stream our judicial processes,” he emphasised.
He said the Chief Justice who was responsible for the administration of the judiciary, had decided, with the support of the Judicial Council, to establish permanent panels of the Court of Appeal in five locations.
These locations, he said, comprised Sekondi to cater for appeals from Central and Western regions; Koforidua to handle appeals from the Eastern, Volta, and Oti regions; Kumasi to cater for appeals from Ahafo, Bono East, Western North, and Ashanti regions.
Furthermore, he said there would be one in Tamale, to cater for appeals from the Upper West, Upper East, North East, Savannah, and Northern regions, but heard through a virtual link in the Kumasi Court of Appeal and in Accra to cater for appeals from the Greater Accra Region.
President Akufo-Addo appealed to the new judges to ensure that the judiciary was free from any form of external influence or interference, be it political, economic, or social.
He said it was only through preserving this independence that the citizens would be sure that justice is administered impartially, adding that “As Justices of Appeal, you must remain vigilant in safeguarding this independence and advancing the principles of fairness and impartiality.”
Justice Gyamfi Dankwa, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they were ready to uphold the provisions in the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana by upholding the rule of law to ensure that justice, equity, and fair play were administered and done to all manner of persons.
“As we took our oath of office, we stated so and we shall do everything within our powers to fulfil same. We shall do our best not to disappoint Ghanaians and do our work faithfully and diligently,” he emphasised.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent