A valedictory ceremony has been held at the Supreme Court for Justice Jones Dotse as he Officially retires on Thursday, June 8, 2023, when he turns 70 years.
Justice Dotse could not hold back his tears, as he was delivering his farewell speech.
He said “I promised my family that I was not going to cry so I’m going to soldier on,” he said to the applause of the attendees of the event. All the good things have been said but today is a day of showing appreciation,” he added.
Following his retirement of Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, in May 2023, Justice Jones Dotse, the most senior Justice on the Supreme Court bench, assumed the position of Acting Chief Justice.
This is in accordance with Article 144 (6) of the 1992 Constitution, which stipulates that when the office of Chief Justice is vacant or the Chief Justice, for any reason is unable to perform the functions of his office, the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court shall act as the Chief Justice until a substantive Chief Justice is appointed.
Justice Jones Mawulom Dotse, is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana who graduated from the University of Ghana in 1976 with a Law degree and was later awarded a BL in Law from the Ghana School of Law in 1978. He was called to the Bar in November 1978.
He worked as a State Attorney for 3 years and went into private practice for 20years. During this period of practice at the Bar, Justice Dotse held many positions, rising to become President of the Volta Region Bar Association. He also specialised in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
In 2002, he was appointed to the Bench as a High Court Judge where he served for seven years. In 2008, he appointed as Justice of the Supreme Court of The Gambia, a position he still occupies. That same year, he was in 2008 elevated to the Supreme Court of Ghana.
He has had extensive international exposure through short courses and conferences by association with the International Bar Association (IBA),· Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (CJEI) Halifax, Canada, Special Judicial Faculty Training of the National Judicial Institute of Canada, Ottawa, and the International Visitor Programme of the United States of America.
Source:Mybrytfmonline/Mensah Atakora
