Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame has charged the Ghana Bar Association to be concerned about more serious and fundamental problems with Ghana’s justice system.
He noted that a court system that leaves accused persons to face state prosecutors with no or no adequate representation is hardly satisfactory so there is the need to strengthen legal aid.
Addressing the Ghana Bar Association Annual Conference at Ho, Mr. Yeboah Dame sat a court system in which summary trials of criminal cases can last for more than four years militates against the right to a fair trial, defeats the ends of justice, and must be looked at again.
He said a prison system comprising overcrowded and understaffed seminaries of crime is not a functioning prison system and these matters should be of prime concern to the Bar.
The Attorney General said “Barristers are not mere “economic actors” to borrow the words of Sir David Clementi, former Chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). We are professionals whose role is to ensure that justice is done according to the law. We act not only in the interest of consumers but also in the public interest. At the heart of this profession are three commitments: independence, excellence, and to advocacy. These three tenets, combined with the Bar’s high degree of versatility, explain why the Bar has survived in Ghana since 1876 and why in my view, it will continue to survive and thrive. But we should not take these things for granted. The essential elements of the profession must be guarded against elements who seek to destroy same.”
“We must be careful to ensure that our reactions to adverse rulings given against us by the courts do not traverse the bounds of ethical behavior. On this note, may I remind you that Dr. J. B. Danquah’s only reaction to the judgment in Re Akoto, which posterity has adjudged to be obnoxious, was “I am grateful”? President Akufo-Addo’s only reaction to the verdict in the 2013 Election Petition, which some scholars perceived to be wrong, was “even though I disagree, I accept it”. Such is the time-honored standard of civility in law practice we should aspire to observe at all times.”
Mr. Yeboah Dame said “As Attorney-General, in addition to strengthening the criminal justice system, I will strive to ensure the establishment of a viable, fair and expeditious system of commercial dispute resolution through the setting up of a Ghana Arbitration Centre as envisaged under the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 (Act 798). With the frequent referral of disputes to arbitration, we need to make Ghana the hub of arbitration in Africa generally and in West Africa in particular.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
