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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

My govt won’t shield lawbreakers - President Akufo-Addo assures Ghanaians

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday swore in Ms Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo as the 13th Chief Justice of the country, with a warning that his government would not shield anyone found to have broken the laws of the land.

According to the President, the application of the laws of the land ought to occur without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and without recourse to the political, religious or ethnic affiliation of any citizen of the land.

“When you fall foul of the law, you must be dealt with accordingly, and the law enforcement agencies, including the Judiciary, must ensure this is done,” he urged.

Towards that end, he warned that persons perpetrating acts of lawlessness in the name of being members of the ruling party would find no shield in his government from the law.

The President, in issuing the warning, made reference to recent disturbances in Savelugu, where, a handful of NPP executives and youth allegedly tried to prevent the municipal chief executive, who had been duly appointed with the requisite approval of the assembly, from working, describing it as unacceptable.

Culprits

He urged the police to do everything in their power to bring to book all those who fell foul of the law.

“We cannot have development, which will bring jobs to our youth, without order,” he stressed.

President Akufo-Addo added that with the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the offing to ensure the prosecution of public officials, all past and present state officials who engaged in acts of corruption and financial malfeasance would be dealt with according to the law.

“It is my expectation that the Judiciary will help facilitate the work of this body,” he said.

The President said his government was determined to build a new Ghanaian civilisation where the rule of law was not a slogan but an operating principle for the development of the state; a Ghana where the separation of powers was real and meaningful, where public officials behaved with honesty and integrity.

He projected a vision of Ghana where the liberties and rights of the people were fully protected and where law and order provided a firm basis for social and economic development so that the dreams of freedom and prosperity that animated the great patriots who founded the nation could find expression in future generations.

Responsibility

To be able to achieve that, he said, all Ghanaians — from the public sector, the security agencies, the private sector, the political parties, civil society, the religious bodies and the traditional authorities — had a joint responsibility to work together, with differing views and perspectives, for the Ghana Project.

The Ghana Project, he stressed, was a united Ghana, governed according to the rule of law, respect for individual liberties, human rights and the principles of democratic accountability.

That, the President said, would also be a Ghana that met the fundamental requirements of social justice and solidarity and where Ghanaians looked past commodities to position the country on the global marketplace.

“We should all work to free ourselves from a mindset of dependence, aid, charity and handouts and rather concentrate on mobilising Ghana’s own considerable resources to resolve Ghana’s problems,” he charged.

He emphasised that achieving that feat was a collective enterprise to which all ought to commit themselves, in unity and in sincerity.

“For my part, I have an unshakeable faith in the boundless prospects of Ghana’s future and will work for it, the radiance of the Black Star,” the President added.

To be able to make that dream a reality, he said, it was critical for the nation to have a Judiciary that commanded the respect of the people by the nature of its delivery of justice, as well as by the comportment of its judges.

Requirements for judges

“It is vitally important that we have judges who are honest, possess integrity and a sound knowledge of the law. The situation where judges proffer judgements on the basis of decisions from lower courts and cite them as law is not acceptable, and even less so, when judges cite no authority at all for their rulings and give orders without reasons,” he stressed.

For that matter, President Akufo-Addo posited that the country’s judges ought to be learned, know their case law and ensure that their judgements were properly motivated.

He expressed confidence that Ms Akuffo would be an effective leader of the Judiciary and jealously guard its independence.

He expressed optimism that her tenure would bring honour to the Judiciary and the country, adding that her attributes, befitting the offspring of a prominent Presbyterian priest — hard work, discipline, capacity for detailed research, intimate knowledge of the law, independence of mind and spirit, honesty and integrity, deep-seated respect for the rule of law and for the best traditions of the legal profession, as well as the abiding belief in the sovereignty of the Almighty God — would serve her well.

Those characteristics, he said, sustained her brilliant career as a lawyer and propelled her to the notice of the first President of the Fourth Republic, former President Jerry John Rawlings, who appointed her to the Supreme Court on November 30, 1995, some 22 years ago.

Confidence in Justice Akuffo

Ms Justice Akuffo, the President said, had since then been one of the leading lights of the court and her contribution to the court’s work and the growth of the nation’s jurisprudence had been extensive.

“She has justified the confidence reposed in her by former President Rawlings. She has now to justify the confidence I am reposing in her as Chief Justice,” he intimated.

The President expressed the certainty that she would continue with former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood’s agenda of redeeming the image of the Judiciary and strengthening its accountability, proceeding with the modernisation of judicial activities and establishing more specialist courts to improve the quality of judicial administration.

“These should be the hallmarks of her tenure as Chief Justice. I assure her of the full co-operation of my government as a genuine and trusted partner, so that, together, the Executive and the Judiciary can co-operate, in a spirit of mutual respect, to realise the welfare and progress of our people,” he added.

The President was grateful to the leadership and members of Parliament for the expeditious manner in which the parliamentary process of approval was undertaken in her case.

Support by compatriots

He also thanked the justices of the Supreme Court, especially Mr Justice William Atuguba, for the support provided during her vetting and expressed the hope that the same level of support would be made available to her during her tenure.

For her part, Mrs Justice Akuffo said integrity was her passion and that she was going to work towards ensuring integrity of the Judiciary.

She said the Judiciary was the pillar of the nation and that when it broke down, the nation also broke down and that she would work to ensure a thriving and reliable Judiciary that would have the full confidence of the Ghanaian people.

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