Attorney General advocates scrapping of Jury System in Ghana

The Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame is calling for the scrapping of the Jury System usually resorted to in the country’s criminal justice system.

According to him, this system contributes to the numerous delays in such cases in court and thus ought to be eliminated.

“I personally think that the jury system ought to be eliminated,” he said in part.

The jury is a body of seven ordinary but educated persons who, subject to the directions of the judge, decide the guilt or innocence of an accused in a case tried upon indictment

Speaking at a meeting with the family of the murdered Major Maxwell Mahama, Mr Dame specifically attributed the delay in the dispatch of this particular case to the jury system. He mentioned that there have been instances including this one, where the trial had to be put on hold owing to the absence of one juror or the other.
 

REFORMS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Moreover, the AG mentioned that Major Maham’s murder has brought some reforms into the nation’s criminal justice system which he will see to its logical implementation.

Also, Mr Dame revealed to the family that following the gruesome murder of their son, the government has made an attempt to deal with the offence of vigilantism through an Act presented to parliament.

He was further hopeful that the verdict would send a strong signal to the world that mob action is not countenanced in Ghana’s legal system.

This week, twelve persons arrested in connection with this offence, have been sentenced to life imprisonment with two others being acquitted and discharged.

Major Maxwell Mahama was murdered in 2017 at Denkyira Obuasi while on official duty.