Programmes Manager of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mary Awelana Addah, says Ghana’s next Chief Justice should be open to collaborate with civil society and private sector to ensure fair and equitable justice delivery.

She explained that such collaboration will help demystify the idea that justice is the preserve of a certain class of people.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, she said reforming the justice system to promote inclusivity and equitable justice delivery should be on top of the agenda of any person who assumes the astute position of Chief Justice in the near future.

“We would want to see a justice who is willing, open and available to collaborate with civil society and private sector to ensure that the agenda of justice delivery in Ghana is prosecuted with fairness, is prosecuted in such a way that equity is served and then inclusivity is part of this agenda.

“We say so because for us in civil society and as citizens, we see the justice delivery system as one that is restricted to a certain class of people or a certain group of people and is not too accessible and also sometimes expensive. So we want to see a Chief Justice who would want to demystify these concepts we hold in our minds and also make sure that it’s not just being demystified, but they’re taken away one after the other.”

Ms. Addah also mentioned that there are several uncompleted projects needed to reform the justice system, and she is hoping that whoever becomes the next Chief Justice makes those uncompleted projects their priority to ensure citizens enjoy the benefits of an improved system.

“For us we want to see the process being open in such a way that we can walk to the Chief Justice’s office anytime to collaborate on many of the interventions which I believe some of the past Chief Justices started which didn’t see completion. Some didn’t see the starting as well. So we would want to collaborate to see that that happens. And citizens would be the gainers for this,” she said.

Her comment follows President Akufo-Addo’s nomination of JSC Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkonoo for the astute position.

The President in a letter to the Council of State on Tuesday, April 25, said her nomination is to avoid any vacuum that would occur following the retirement of the current Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah on May 24. 

Justice Torkornoo per this nomination, will be vetted by Parliament which will either approve her nomination or otherwise. 

If she is approved, she will become the third female Chief Justice in the history of Ghana after Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.