Chief Justice’s Forum important platform for accountability, feedback — Chief Justice

The Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, has said the Annual Chief Justice’s Forum remains an important avenue that allows the Judiciary and the Judicial Service to account to communities about how justice is administered for them.

Also, she said the forum provided an opportunity for communities to give feedback to the Judicial Service and the Judiciary on how well or badly they perceived that the Judicial Service had conducted the constitutional obligation of justice administration in the country. 

Justice, she said, required that laws were crafted to protect from harm, and where harm was alleged, opportunity was given for remedial action to be taken for both the accuser and the accused to receive a just consequence based on their actions or inaction.

She said it was, therefore, the duty of the courts to give citizens the most effective and efficient judicial services possible so that all citizens could have  disputes resolved efficiently, quickly, effectively and with finality.

Speaking at this year’s forum in Takoradi, Chief Justice Sackey Torkornoo emphasised: “Until that is done, the work of justice delivery is not done. This is why the forum, our conversation, is focused on how we can all build the pillars, walls and edifice of justice in the country with leadership, innovation and technology.”

The Judicial Service instituted the Annual Chief Justice's Forum as part of measures to enhance its public image, trust and confidence through engagement with stakeholders on issues of access to justice, transparency and accountability.

This year’s event is on the theme: "Building the Pillars of Justice through Leadership, Innovation and Technology," and the Takoradi event brought together key stakeholders to deliberate on pertinent issues that affect the administration of justice. It also serves as a platform to receive feedback on justice delivery.
 

Structures

Likening the justice delivery system to building a house, Mrs Sackey Torkonoo said: “It must have strong foundations, identifiable walls, a strong roof from which nothing leaks into the house, doors through which one can enter the house, windows from which you can look out, and well furnished rooms from which the house owners can live comfortably.

“We thus have a solid foundation of courts, judicial officers and the judiciary. Around this foundation are strong walls of laws outside of which no court can work or function,” she said.

Also, as part of the structures, the Chief Justice said the citizenry had at least three levels of appeals as a solid assurance that their cases were not disposed of without absolute attention, reminding all that there was a right to appeal to the high court from a district court ruling or judgment. 

Mrs Sackey Torkornoo said within this justice delivery system were structures that allowed citizens to participate in justice delivery as mediators, tribunal panel members and jurors. 
 

External services 

The judiciary, the Chief Justice further stated, also worked with many external service providers such as private process servers who did the same work as the bailiffs of the courts, lawyers, commissioners of oaths and notaries who helped citizens to prepare their court papers, valuers and professionals who assisted citizens to obtain records that assisted the courts to give citizens the rights they looked for.

The Chief Justice said she was confident that the good and strong interweaving of these structures had helped to build this national robust system of justice, “that has brought us together today.” 

Standards

The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, said the legal profession, and for that matter, being a judge, required very high moral and ethical standards.

“I can state without any equivocation or any mental reservation whatsoever that we as a country are endowed with the requisite manpower, both on the Bench and the Bar, to effectively deliver justice and promote economic growth and prosperity for all.”

A Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, said access to justice remained the fundamental right of all and must be protected.