Govt constructs more courts, bungalows for judges
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said 98 courts and bungalows are being constructed in all 16 regions of the country for judges with the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
He said the intervention was to help address the inadequate court infrastructure in the country, which made some citizens travel long distances to access courts.
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The President said this when he swore in 16 justices of the High Court at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.
Judges
The justices include Ms Eva Bannerman-Williams, Mr Emmanuel Bart-Plange Brew, Mr Yaw Owoahene Acheampong, Mr Samuel Boakye-Yiadom, Mr Abdul Yusif Asibey, Mrs Elfreda Amy Dankyi, Mr Samuel Faraday Johnson and Ms Sheila Minta.
The rest are Ms Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, Nana Yaw Gyamfi Frimpong, Mr Ernest Yao Gaewu, Mr Solomon Oppong-Twumasi, Mr Charles Bentum, Mr Joseph Adu-Owusu Agyeman, Mr William Osei-Kuffour and Mr Douglas Seidu.
Ceremony
In line with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic protocols, the judges were sworn in, in two batches of eight each.
In both ceremonies, the Judicial Secretary, Ms Cynthia Pamela A. Addo, introduced the judges, after which the President administered the three oaths of Allegiance, Judicial and Secrecy to them.
Then they received their instruments of appointment, which were draped in the national colours.
The judges later took turns to sign the oaths book, with the President signing his portion to seal the ceremony.
Significance
On the construction of court infrastructure, President Akufo-Addo observed that there was no court between Adjabeng and Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region, neither was there a court between Adum in Kumasi and Asante Bekwai or Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
He said nine months after he had inaugurated a three-storey court complex at Frafraha in the Adentan municipality in the Greater Accra Region, he had been informed that there were already some 3,000 cases pending at the courts.
The President said there would be eight courts and bungalows in the Greater Accra Region; the same number in the Volta Region; four courts and bungalows in Oti; 12 courts and 10 bungalows in Eastern and seven courts and bungalows in Western.
Additionally, he said, there would be four courts and bungalows in the Western North Region; four courts and bungalows in Central; five courts and bungalows in North East; 20 courts and 14 bungalows in Ashanti; eight courts and bungalows in Ahafo; four courts and six bungalows in Bono and five courts and bungalows in Bono East.
The rest were three courts and bungalows in the Northern Region; three courts and bungalows in Savannah; two courts and bungalows in Upper West and three courts and bungalows in Upper East, he said.
Application of law
President Akufo-Addo said the dispensation of justice required that the application of the laws of the land must occur, in the hallowed words of the Judicial Oath, ‘without fear or favour, affection or ill-will’, “that is, without recourse to the political, religious or ethnic affiliations of any person before you”.
He said when citizens fell foul of the law, whether they were high or low in society, they must be dealt with accordingly, and that the law enforcement agencies, including judges, must ensure that this was done because that was the true meaning of the concept of equality before the law.
The President said since its assumption of office, the government had introduced a number of measures to bridge the technology gap to shore up the country’s reputation as a nation governed in accordance with the rule of law.
“That is why I launched the e-justice system last year to leverage technology in the delivery of justice. I encourage all of you to take full advantage of the e-justice system to expedite the conduct of cases that come before you and in the management of the court,” he added.
Response
On behalf of her colleagues, Ms Kocuvie-Tay expressed appreciation to God and the President for the confidence reposed in them.
She pledged to the people on whose behalf justice was administered to deliver justice without fear, favour, affection or ill-will, saying that they would work diligently with integrity to justify the confidence reposed in them.
