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The Chief Justice, His Excellency Justice Anin Yeboah, said the justice system cannot rely on public confidence if stakeholders do not work to secure and protect the rights of individuals.
He admits that although the justice system lacks the resources to carry out its tasks effectively, there is still a long way to go to bring justice to the people.
The situation, according to the Chief Justice, “takes the public away from the perception of complex court processes which may be more troubled than the issues for which they sought to invoke the justice delivery system in the first place.”
He explained that the lack of confidence in the justice system is consistently shown in polls and surveys which perceive those in charge of the justice system to be the most corrupt.
Justice Anin Yeboah asserted that citizens need the assurance of an honest, fair, transparent and accountable justice system, otherwise “we cannot count on public confidence in our democratic system”.
He further said that weakening public trust means that “government consent cannot be obtained and maintained if the public cannot trust the institutions that are supposed to protect and guarantee their rights.”
His Lordship Judge Yonny Kulendi, on behalf of the Chief Justice, spoke at an awareness workshop for Ghana Case Tracking System (CTS) stakeholders in Bono regional capital Sunyani. It was organized by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and supported by USAID.
The workshop, aimed at improving the effectiveness of the CTS, attracted participants from institutions in the justice sector, including the police, prison services, the Legal Aid Commission, the Ministry of Justice and the Office. economic and organized crime.
Missing records and lack of coordination among the various justice delivery agencies remain a challenge that drags on processes leading to problems for those who must deal with the justice system.
And to help resolve some of the unacceptable situations, CTS was implemented in 2018.
The CTS, an activity of Ghana Justice Sector Reforms, seeks to effectively investigate and prosecute criminal acts in Ghana by tracking cases on a centralized system.
Chief Justice Anin Yeboah stressed that the CTS should help operate a seamless system that tracks cases from arrest to investigations, prosecution, conviction, rehabilitation and, eventually, release.
“This will improve transparency and accountability in the delivery of justice. And it will reduce the impact of corruption on processes, and it will mean that we will never again have the frequent regrettable experiences of missing files, whether in courts or in police stations ”.
He said, however, that the CTS is only as effective as its implementation.
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative public education and advocacy specialist Esther Ahulu, however, raised concerns about the inability of some stakeholders to provide information to the platform, d ‘where the workshop to sensitize key stakeholders to CTS and advocate for its effective use.
“The system was not used as intended and for about 6 months the Bono area, for example, did not register their cases on the system, although the necessary equipment to facilitate registration was provided to the stations, ”she explained.
She further stated that presiding members of different assemblies, CSOs and others, which most people go to before even reporting a case to the police station, should advocate for the necessary resources to be provided to institutions to enable to the platform to work for the improvement of the delivery of justice in the country.
For her part, Bono’s regional minister, Justina Owusu Banahene, assured the government’s commitment to better justice.
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