Mahama Lacks Understanding Of Ghana’s Judicial System – Former GBA President

Sam Okudzeto | Photos"/>

Former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto has criticized former president John Dramani Mahama over his recent comments on the judiciary in the country.

Mr Mahama while speaking at the 2nd Annual Lawyers Conference of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) chided the judiciary for being politically biased.

He says the image of the country’s judiciary has badly been deteriorated even to the point where citizens now no longer trust the courts with some subjecting them to public mockery and opprobrium

“The phrase go to court these days are met with derisive laughter instead of hope that one will truly get justice if he went to the court.

“If people are not poking fun about politics and inducements being used to sway the hand of justice in the lower courts then it is poking fun at and making statement about the 7-0 of the unanimous FC in verdicts which mostly involves cases of a political nature in our Supreme Court. This is an unfortunate but serious development’, he said.

But Mr Okudzeto says the former president does not understand how Ghana's judicial system works.

He opines that comments such as the those made by the former president has the potential of causing people to be lawless in the country

He adds that the step of the country's judicial system makes it difficult for the Chief to arbitrarily influence judgment.

In any case, he says, the constitution has made provision for addressing citizens’ grievances against the judiciary and does not understand why the former President will choose the path he took in voicing out his issues with the court.

"I don't think he understand the judicial system. The Chief Justice does not tell the judges the kind of judgment he should write. If you have evidence of corruption, you are supposed to send it to the Chief Justice and he is mandated under the Constitution to have an inquiry made.

"He cannot brush it aside and forget about it. Against the Chief Justice, you send it to the president, A person of that high level should understand what the constitutional process is and not just make a sweeping statement which will undermine confidence in the whole institution. 

“Lack of confidence in the whole institution will mean people should take the law into their own hands”, he said.

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