Practice of judges sitting in as additional judges must be abolished — Sir Dennis Adjei

Supreme Court nominee, Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, has called for the abolition of the practice where judges of superior courts are appointed to sit as additional judges in lower courts.

According to him, the system, which he claims is unique to Ghana, creates room for human influence and undermines confidence in the judicial process, especially when there are enough qualified judges at each level of the court system.

Justice Adjei made the remarks on Monday, June 16, during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, in response to a question on constitutional reforms he would recommend.

“A judge sitting in a court as an additional judge — that should be abolished because it is not done in any country. We have enough High Court judges, so why should a Court of Appeal judge be asked to go and sit on a High Court case?

“We have enough Circuit Court judges too. Why should a High Court judge be asked to sit on a Circuit Court case as an additional judge?” he asked.

The Appeals Court judge emphasized that the practice could breed perceptions of bias or external influence.

“That is why we talk about human influence — and we must reduce it, we must curb it. I have examined almost all the constitutions in Africa, and I have not seen any country where judges are asked to sit in another court as additional,” he noted.

“When a higher court judge goes down to sit on a case, people begin to question why a judge from that court couldn’t handle it. Even the perception alone speaks volumes.”

Justice Adjei insisted that abolishing the practice would enhance the independence and credibility of the judiciary.