Judges on Vacation: See Who's Out of Court Nationwide
26 Judges Nationwide Sitting During Legal Vacation
A controversy has erupted over the Chief Justice's decision to have 26 judges sit nationwide during the legal vacation, sparking concerns about selective justice. According to a list available to Pledge Against Corruption, these judges are spread across the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Northern, Western, Ashanti, Volta, and Upper East regions.
The list, however, does not specify the exact number of cases each judge will hear. But sources indicate that hundreds of cases are involved, not just a few as initially reported.
No Case-Specific Warrants Signed by Chief Justice
Contrary to claims by lawyers Godfred Dame and Atta Akyea, the warrants signed by the Chief Justice do not specify particular cases for the vacation courts. The warrants are general, authorising the judges to sit on all substantive cases before their courts.
In other words, if there are 20 cases in each court, then we are looking at 520 cases in total.
Judges' Additional Responsibilities During Legal Vacation
The vacation judges have been assigned additional responsibilities, including hearing motions and other emergency processes from other courts. This arrangement is not new, but it has been misrepresented as only allowing the vacation courts to move motions.
In reality, the vacation judges are authorised to hear substantive cases before their courts, but they cannot take over substantive cases pending in the courts of judges who have proceeded on legal vacation.
The Justice System's Slow Pace
The controversy surrounding the vacation courts has highlighted the slow pace of the justice system in Ghana. The country cannot afford to lose so much judicial time to legal vacation, especially when it comes to high-profile cases like those involving Kwabena Adu-Boahene and Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba.
Cases to Be Heard During Legal Vacation
By the second week of October, the judges who are currently on vacation will have returned and settled, while those sitting during the legal vacation go on leave. At that time, the cases involving Kwabena Adu-Boahene and Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba will still be pending, and it's unclear when they will be heard.
In fact, if the cases are not called during the legal vacation, there won't be any meaningful progress on them for the rest of the year. This will only help the "Stephen Opunilisation" agenda, which is to delay the cases until after the 2028 election.
The Political Class's Game Plan
The controversy surrounding the vacation courts has exposed the game plan of the political class in Ghana. By filing a suit and claiming that the case should be heard during the legal vacation, the litigant is playing into the hands of the politicians who want to delay the cases.
But one thing should be clear: our already slow justice system must not halt during legal vacations. Traditions must not become the law.
Source: Joy Online
