Justice Acquah was a great judge - Justice Crabbe

Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice V.C.R.A. Crabbe has described the late Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah as a great judge who has brought crucial reforms to the judiciary.

According to him, the late Justice Acquah departed completely from the conservative ways of the judiciary and pursued reforms that have modernized the system and given it a new impetus.

The Chief Justice died at the weekend after a protracted illness that kept him in and out of office for a long time. He was 65.

Even though many lauded the late Chief Justice for his uncompromising stance against corruption, he became the centre of corruption allegations himself in a case that saw the likes of lawyer Bright Akwetey asking for his removal.

Mr. Akwetey had petitioned the president over the conduct of the late Chief Justice and asked that he be made to step down whilst a committee investigate him for corruption and abuse of office.

But the Supreme Court threw out the case saying the Chief Justice could not be subject to any such investigations as he remained in office. All these notwithstanding, Justice Crabbe says he brought a lot of credibility to the legal profession.

According to Justice Crabbe, he would “remember him as the great judges who tried to reform the judiciary. It's not only the administration of the judiciary but the administration of justice as a whole in the country…He'a been trying to get very good conditions of service. I believe one of the few monuments to him will be the creation of the building of the Commercial Courts which I understand are of first class and meets standards in any other country.”