Demonstrate Core Values of Profession-CJ
The Chief Justice, Ms. Sophia Akuffo has tasked judges to demonstrate the core values of judicial conduct.
According to her, judges are at the heart of the judicial delivery system in the country.
She said a competent and knowledgeable judge who has a clear understanding of the law and its nuances will apply the law in a manner that produces a fair and equitable outcome in any depute.
In a message at the 60th Legal Year Church Service in Accra on the theme: ‘Quality Judges Delivering Quality Justice” the CJ said judges must show their independence, impartiality, intergrity, impropriety, equity, competence and deligence.
She said the occasion was the time for the members of the judiciary to reflect on its conduct.
“I entreat all of us as individuals to solemnly reflect” on our conduct in the past and ask ourselves whether we discharged our duties diligently according to law and good conscience”.
Ms. Akuffo continued: “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past and instead commit to doing our very best to ensure that the administration of justice in Ghana delivers excellence at all levels of the court.”
The CJ’s comments come at a time when the judiciary is struggling to redeem its image years after the Anas Aremeyaw Anas bribery and corruption expose which captured over 100 Circuit and High Court judges on video exchanging justice for pecuniary gains.
Sermon
Revd. George O. Kwapong, a District Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in a sermon tasked the judiciary to do the right thing because there is judgement day where everyone would be required to account for everything we do.
He said a person’s way of life stems from his own beliefs, creed, philosophy, principles and conviction adding that “If you believe that you shall account for your stewardship on this earth to a superior being, you work with that motivation.
Revd. Kwapong, also Pastor at the Tema North Presby stated that judges’ delivery of quality justice is not influenced just by the appropriate laws or whether they are logically sound, argumentatively right or comprehensible but also by their values.
Insisting there is a reward for faithful service, the man of God noted that the court system in the country has undergone several changes right from the colonial era up to date, but no matter how many times it has changed either by nomenclature or structure; its core mandate of seeking the protection, rights and freedoms of individuals among others remain the same.
Quality Judges
Revd. Kwapong explained that in as much as structures, laws, supervision, checks and balances are very crucial in the adjudication of justice, arguing that for quality of justice to prevail, much depends more on the individuals that play those roles.
“Individuals who are committed to their convictions, principles, philosophies, creed and vows can make the difference…”
The Tema North Presby preacher stated “Justices who are committed to these can be described as quality judges and they naturally are not influenced by any other thing but by what they believe and would automatically deliver quality Justice.”
“My I humbly ask you Papa Justice, Mama justice, Papa lawyer, Mama lawyer do you believe in God? Do you believe one day you would account for your stewardship before him? Do you have religious beliefs, creed convictions and principles that you work with in your chosen profession? Do you believe that quality Justice is possible in Ghana? Can the urban citizen in Ghana come before you in confidence that he or she shall obtain true justice? Can God and Ghana count on you? Revd. Kwapong quizzed.
Source: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher
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