Judiciary dedicates April, May for remand cases

The Judicial Service is to dedicate the months of April and May, 2015 solely to hearing the cases of remand prisoners, the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood has said.

She said the decision was as a result of a graphic image presented by recent media documentary on the sordid state of remand prisoners.

Mrs Wood was speaking at the General Legal Council’s Bench, Bar and Faculty conference in Accra on Thursday.

She said as a start, six Circuit courts have been selected to carry out this urgent assignment in Accra.

She said the judiciary would issue out the necessary and sufficient notices related to the venues, hearing dates and other relevant information in due course.

The Chief Justice urged all members of the legal fraternity, particularly, lawyers in private practice to lend their full support in this effort.

She further urged the Ghana Bar Associations (GBA, as a matter of urgency, to put in place mechanisms that would encourage and promote more pro bono work.

“The General Legal Council will be happy to collaborate with the GBA in ensuring the effectiveness of such an arrangement,” she added.

Mrs Wood said judges were blamed for giving the remand orders but prosecutors and lawyers could hardly escape legitimate blame adding that, it is a big shame, given the legal profession’s preferred love for democracy, and its pride of place in society as the lead promoters and defenders of the rule of law.

“When lawyers and prosecutors incessantly seek adjournments, they encourage prison congestion,” she said.

Nene Abayaateye Amegatcher, the President of the GBA, said the conference was the beginning of a renaissance within the legal fraternity.

He said it was critical to the country’s democratic survival, the sustenance of the rule of law and good governance in the country.

Source: GNA