Former President John Dramani Mahama believes it will require a new Chief Justice to heal the judiciary’s “damaged reputation.”
According to him, the existing leadership of the judiciary lacks the necessary qualities to restore the institution’s tarnished reputation, necessitating the appointment of a new Chief Justice.
John Mahama told a gathering at the NDC’s Lawyers’ Conference on Sunday that a perceived independent judiciary is a critical component in defending the country’s democracy.
He did, however, highlight that the incumbent judiciary has become a source of derision and contempt, necessitating the appointment of a new Chief Justice to restore public trust in the courts.
“There is hence an urgent need for the Ghanaian judiciary to seek to earn the trust and confidence of the citizens and to dispel the commonly held notion of hostility and political bias in legal procedures before the highest courts of the state.”
Unfortunately, we have no hope that the existing leadership of our judiciary will be able to lead such a transformation process. “All we can hope is that a new Chief Justice will lead the process of repairing the damaged image that our judiciary has acquired in recent years,” Mahama added.
Still speaking about the judiciary, he implied that the public perception of prejudice on the part of the judiciary constitutes an “existential threat” to the country’s democracy.
The fact that many residents continue to mock the judiciary as a “Unanimous FC,” in his opinion, is an issue that must be addressed.
“So drastically has our judiciary’s image deteriorated. Many of our citizens openly insult our justice system and our judges. “The expression “Go to Court” is now received with mockery rather than with hope that one will receive true justice,” John Mahama bemoaned.
“If people aren’t making light of politics and inducements being used to sway the hand of justice in the lower courts, then they’re making fun of the 7-0 of the ‘Unanimous FC,'” he stated.
In addition, the former President emphasised, “This is a regrettable trend. One of the most terrifying existential threats to any democracy is when voters believe their judiciary has no significance for them “.
The Judiciary has recently come under substantial criticism for the unanimous nature of some of its judgements.
The unanimous nature of its decisions has been interpreted as politically motivated by some members of the public.
John Mahama believes that this must be corrected in order to maintain the integrity of the courts in the administration of justice.
In a similar event, the former President referred to the Akufo-Addo administration as “the largest political swindle in the Fourth Republic.”
His claims were based on the country’s current economic woes.
This, according to John Mahama, demonstrates the incompetence of the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia-led administrations.
As a result, he emphasised the NDC’s willingness to improve the situation in the future.
“Ghanaians look to the NDC to restore hope and turn our motherland’s fortunes around from the pitiful position in which we currently find ourselves,” he asserted.
