Call To Punish Judges For Poor Judgments Refreshing

The President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr. Benson Nutsukpui, has called on the Judicial Council to be bold and punish judges who administer bad judgements.

According to the Bar Association, bad judgements make it difficult for the citizenry to repose confidence in the judicial system of the country. The Chronicle would even add that bad judgements by judges, potentially, can destroy the nation.

The Bar Association has also commended the Judicial Council for reverting the process of promoting and recruiting judges to the old system that acknowledges experience instead of written exams.

It is very refreshing for The Chronicle to hear the Bar Association making such a bold call on the Judicial Council.

We say so, because the judiciary plays an integral part in our democratic dispensation, and any move by individual or group of people to put the judiciary on track to administer justice in the supreme interest of the country is most welcome.

The Chronicle has had countless complaints from citizens who have, at one time or the other, been handed verdicts by judges which appear to be lopsided.

We strongly believe that the Judicial Council should take bold and decisive steps to strengthen the High Court bench.

This is so, because the practice of assigning Court of Appeal judges as additional High Court judges, in most cases, to handle perceived high profile cases, entrenches the perception of a weak High Court bench.

Without mincing words, we, at The Chronicle, would like to state that indeed, there is the urgent need to sanction judges who deliver truly atrocious judgments not befitting of the high office of High Court judges.

We are glad that the Bar has given the assurance it would ensure that persons recommended by the association to the bench are of proven integrity and standard befitting the high office.

This, we believe, would strengthen the justice delivery system, which, ultimately, goes to enhance our democracy.

The Chronicle would like to sound a note of caution that if we fail, as a nation, to strengthen our judicial system, the very fabric of our society would crumble, and the consequences would not be palatable for anyone to write about.

We appreciate efforts by the Chief Justice, the Minister of Justice and Attorney to improve justice delivery as a way of building a stronger, trusted society.

But, we would quickly add that let us not forget that all projects undertaken to digitise and automate the judicial system in Ghana to enhance efficiency in justice delivery, would bear not fruit if the key players in the judicial system, the judges, do not deliver to the letter.

In the light of the above, The Chronicle would appeal to our judges to endeavour to uphold the integrity of the profession, which holds the key to building a society that would dignify human existence.