Chief Justice of Ghana, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, has issued a firm directive to court registrars across the country, urging them not to assign any juror to more than one court during the 2025 criminal assizes, which officially began today nationwide.

“The following administrative directions already exist for presiding judges and registrars of high courts where trials on indictment are to be held to assist in speedy and effective trials,” the Chief Justice stated at the opening of the criminal session in Accra.

“Please ensure that under no circumstances is any juror placed on the list of more than one court, thereby eliminating the possibility of any juror being involved in cases pending in more than one court,” she added.

She further directed that trials must be conducted daily and concluded within a few days to ensure swift case disposal before a new trial begins.

The Chief Justice urged judges to strictly observe the Effective Case Completion Planning Strategies of 2019, found in the 2017–2020 1 SCGLR 422, as well as the Practice Direction on Jury Trials, which came into effect in May 2024.

These directives build on major reforms to Ghana’s jury system unveiled at the Law Complex in Accra by the Chief Justice. Notably, the pool of eligible jurors has been broadened to include citizens from the private sector, ending the long-standing practice of relying mainly on public sector clerical staff and teachers.

The reform aims to bring greater fairness, transparency, and efficiency to Ghana’s criminal justice system.

Other reforms taking effect with the 2025 criminal assizes include:

• Continuous daily hearings from start to finish for each case.
• Full disclosures by the prosecution before jury empanelment, in line with the Supreme Court decision in Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie v. The Republic.
• Use of assessors for certain cases to reduce jury burden.
• Strict attendance enforcement for jurors and accused persons.
• Enhanced coordination with police and prison officers for timely appearances and evidence presentation.
• Orders to compel witness attendance when necessary.