Don’t interfere in work of judges relatives, friends cautioned
The Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister for Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, has advised family members and friends of judges not to interfere in their work.
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Such interference, she said, could negatively influence judges and affect their careers, adding: “They need your prayers and nothing more.’’
“Being already skilled in the law, they do not need your direction on how to dispense justice. Having come this far in their lives, please avoid the temptation of influence peddling which has derailed many a fine judicial career and soured many otherwise brilliant minds,’’ she stressed.
The A-G gave the advice at the swearing-in ceremony of 12 circuit court judges and seven magistrates at the Law Court Complex in Accra yesterday.
The newly appointed judges and magistrates took the oath of allegiance, the judicial oath and the oath of secrecy which were administered by the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood.
Eight out of the circuit court judges were magistrates who were promoted, while the remaining four previously worked as lawyers.
All the newly appointed judges and magistrates underwent a rigorous screening process that included examinations, interviews and background checks.
There were also public announcements about their selection to allow the public to inform the Judicial Council about any unaccepted acts that might have been committed by them.
Media
Mrs Appiah-Opong also challenged the media to be professional when reporting on court cases and avoid “sensational court reporting.’’
“The media have a role to play in reporting accurately by avoiding subjective and uniformed opinions and sometimes purely mischievous angles and slants. Thankfully, I see a happy end where more serious media houses have specialised court reporters,’’ she said.
New magistrates and circuit court judges at a ceremony in Accra Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO
Be bold
In a keynote address, a justice of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, urged the newly appointed judges and magistrates to be bold and take decisions that would not contravene the laws of the country.
He stressed that judges must not be timid in the discharge of their duties.
“The bench is not a place for a timorous soul; you must be bold and confident in what you do,’’ he urged them.
Justice Dotse further advised them to be fair in all their dealings, as that would convince people to have confidence in them.
“You must afford all persons who appear before you equal opportunity to be heard,’’ he said.
The President of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG), Mr Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei, also advised the judges and magistrates to stick to the tenets of the oaths that they had taken.
“If you stick to the contents of the oaths and live by them, you will surely become a good judge,’’ he said.
No shady deals
For his part, the General-Secretary of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr Justine Amenuvor, urged the judges and magistrates not to involve themselves in any shady deals.
“We will support and protect good judges, but we will not hesitate to expose those who involve themselves in illegality,’’ he said.
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