"Our Court System Is Overburdened": Akufo-Addo Defends His Appointment Of Additional Judges
- President Akufo-Addo said his appointment of more judges to Ghana's court system was due to short-staffing and overburdening
- He noted that as the country builds more courts and cases increase, so did the need for judges to be appointed to meet the demand
- President Akufo-Addo's appointment of more judges followed a request from the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkonoo, for an increase
President Akufo-Addo has defended his appointment of additional judges to the country’s Appeals courts nationwide.
He justified his actions by citing the increasing workload on judges and the establishment of more courts across the country.
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He said this at the swearing-in ceremony for some 16 newly appointed Appeals Court Judges at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, per Citi News.
The president stated that the establishment of new courts in the country required the appointment of new judges to ensure efficient and speedy justice delivery.
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He said the current court system is overburdened and needed more hands to lighten the load for incumbent judges.
Ghana's president announced the Chief Justice’s decision to establish permanent panels of the Appeals Court in five locations across the country.
The five locations are Accra, Tamale, Kumasi, Koforidua, and Sekondi.
Akufo-Addo nominates two Supreme Court judges
President Akufo-Addo had earlier nominated two new judges to the Supreme Court following their approval by the Judicial Council.
The judges included Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah - a justice of the Court of Appeal, and Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong - a legal academic and fellow of the Ghana Academy of Sciences.
Both nominees are to be presented to and vetted by parliament as the Constitution mandates.
Their nomination follows a direct request from Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo regarding President Akufo-Addo's need to appoint more judges to the Supreme Court.
She had argued that the Supreme Court's workload was more than what the current judges could handle, leading to undue case delays.
She said more judges could enhance the Supreme Court system with fast and effective justice delivery.
Chief Justice suggests five Supreme Court judges
Justice Tornkonoo suggested five persons for nomination, including Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, the presiding judge in the Ato Forson ambulance procurement trial.
The four other judges were Justice Angelina Mensah Homiah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Justice Cyra Pamela Koranteng, and Justice Eric Kyei Baffuour.
However, her action attracted the ire of civil society and other legal stakeholders, who described it as improper.
However, Akufo-Addo has defended her request for more judges despite failing to appoint any of the five she had suggested.
NDC demands resignation of Chief Justice
YEN.com.gh also reported that the NDC National Communications Officer had accused the Chief Justice of engaging in a conflict of interest in her request to Akufo-Addo to appoint new judges.
Sammy Gyamfi said while the Chief Justice had committed several procedural missteps, her decision to put forward names of people to be nominated was wrong and she should step down.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
