Political ‘boxing’ of Judges: Let's deepen confidence in Judicial process beyond appointment- Prof Abotsi

“Moving forward, it is important to deepen confidence in the judicial process and the perception of the independence of judges beyond their appointments at least from the apex court."

Is allowance instantly strangers applauded

The Dean of the UPSA Law School, Prof Kofi Abotsi is calling for the deepening of the confidence in Ghana’s Judicial process beyond appointments to deal with the ‘political’ tagging of judges.

According to him, reinforcement of the role of Parliament in the appointment process and even consultation with known political groupings in the country will deepen the confidence of citizens in Judges' appointments.

“It is important to call to mind that people or Ghanaians have tendered to politically box judges and in politically boxing judges, the interpretation of judgments have not been seen through the prism of the principles for which these judgments are given but have been given political twists. Often people will mention judges and indicate the reasons for their judgments thus they were appointed by a certain president.”

“Moving forward, it is important to deepen confidence in the judicial process and the perception of the independence of judges beyond their appointments at least from the apex court by deepening confidence in non-institutional consultation to build confidence in both sides.”

Speaking at the 2021/2022 Legal year Conference of the Bar, Bench, and Faculties, he further noted that the recent criticism and attacks on judges by leading politicians should serve as an opportunity for the nation to introspect and fill some of the gaps in these areas.

He however bemoaned the failure of institutional bodies including Parliament in the process of the appointment of judges contrary to the constitutional provision.