Avoidable mistakes, distortions of requirements for due process in the work of courts abound – CJ

Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has stated that judges are expected to deliver justice with supporting staff, who have almost zero knowledge of the basic ingredients of justice – law and legality.

She said the import of the language of the law, the effect of time on legality, the effect of skipping any process and procedure is largely not known to the vast majority of the thousands of staff who work with Judges.

As they conduct their administrative duties, she said, they do so with knowledge from their own skill sets and proficiencies, and not the nuanced appreciation of the effect of law on actions.

To that end, she said “Avoidable mistakes, errors, and distortions of the requirements for due process therefore abound in the work of the courts and these affect court users with much loss, expense, delay and frustration.”

Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo said this during the launch of the ‘LEADing Justice’, a strategic framework of the vision, in Accra on Monday April 8.

Full text: Statement by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo at the launch of her vision – LEADing Justice

“The framework of vision presented today is therefore calling for a bold and multiplied outlay of paralegal learning to be made available to all the thousands of Judicial Service Staff, and the countless professionals who work with the Judiciary to deliver justice.

“These professionals include police investigators, prosecutors, mediators who supplement the court’s work with alternate dispute resolution services, external court service providers such as process servers, valuers, surveyors, financial experts, all types of experts, auctioneers,” she said.

During the event, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia underscored the importance of digitalization in justice delivery in Ghana.

This was after he launched the ‘LEADing Justice’, a strategic framework of the vision of Her Ladyship, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, for the Judiciary and the Judicial Service, on Monday, April 8.

Dr Bawumai said at the event that it was refreshing to note that one of the key components of LEADing Justice, is digitalization.

Digilsations, eha added, is crucial to the advancement of the judicial system and the delivery of justice in Ghana.

“Having launched the Electronic Case Tracking System for the criminal justice sector in 2018 and also witnessing the positive impact the e-justice system, which was launched a year later, is having on the administration of justice, I am delighted that digitalization is a key component of this strategic vision of the Chief Justice,” he said.

He assured the Chief Justice of government’s continuous commitment to supporting the judiciary, and I also urged other stakeholders to support the Chief Justice, in her quest for continuous transformation of the judicial system.

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