The Judicial Service Thursday launched two codes of conduct for judges/magistrates and for employees of the service. It also launched a Judicial Service Association of Ghana (JUSAG) Provident Fund Scheme for members of the service. A seven-member Board of Trustees, chaired by Justice Aduamah Osei of the Appeal Court was inaugurated by the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood to administer the fund. According to the Judicial Service, this is the first time in the history of the institution that it is benefiting from the publication of such codes of conduct and a welfare protection policy. The 32-page code for the judges and magistrates “defines the general principles of judicial ethics, rules and standards of judicial conduct that a judge must follow while fulfilling his official duties, as well as while engaged in other activities and even in private life.” The code, among other things says that judges should uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and also avoid impropriety and the show of impropriety in judge’s activities. The nine-page code for employees also says “all employees of the Judicial Service shall not use or attempt to use their position to secure unjustifiable privileges for themselves or others.” It asks employees not to solicit or accept, or appear to solicit or accept any gift, or favour, or anything of value that will influence their actions, decisions or judgement in the performance of official duties. Mrs Wood urged the members of the judiciary to read the codes and go by them, saying, “these are times of increasing demand on public office holders to exhibit integrity, transparency and accountability”. She said the Judiciary had come under barrage of criticism including corruption and “by the two codes, we have sought to regulate our own conduct by leveraging a value-based code which we hope will inspire judicial probity among judges, magistrates and employees”. Source: The Ghanaian Times/Ghana