The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) says it will not accept assertions that persons with partisan political inclinations are appointed to the bench.
The Association maintains that the political leanings of individuals so appointed must not be highlighted against the appointees’ professional competencies.
Public Relations Officer of the Bar Association, Saviour Kudzie in responding to concerns of partisanship on the bench said the former President by his statute should know better.
“Certain statements shouldn’t be coming from certain people, but because of Mr. John Mahama’s stature, that is why this is a matter of concern. I will give him the benefit of the doubt as a layperson. He has certain clout as an aspiring president.”
“He has appointed judges before and if he comes into power he will appoint some more if the opportunity presents itself. Will he appoint those people because he wants them to do some political bidding? No, I don’t think so”, he said.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said, recent attacks by some political element against the judiciary is unacceptable.
Nana Akufo-Addo stated that such conduct affects confidence in the country’s justice system.
Former President John Mahama has in recent times attacked the judiciary, calling for the removal of the Chief Justice but Nana Akufo-Addo says such comments are needless.
“There are some who have made it their political agenda to disparage systematically the image of the judiciary for selfish parochial partisan reasons,” he said.
The President noted further that his legal challenge of the election results in 2013 did not spark any criticism.
John Dramani Mahama called for a change in the leadership of the country’s judiciary to repair what he describes as its broken image.
Mr. Mahama complained that the judiciary has sunk so low that it has lost the trust and faith of the ordinary person.
Earlier, the Attorney General, Godfred Dame also criticised attacks on Ghana’s Judiciary by Mr. Mahama.
Mr. Dame said the unwarranted utterances dent the image of the judiciary, a development that threatens the peace and well-being of the country.
“It was great dismay and embarrassment that, I heard a person who has occupied the highest office of state that is the former President recently launched an unwarranted attack on the integrity of Ghana’s Judiciary.”
“I observed that, this was the latest instalment of systematic attack by the former President, albeit unjustified,” the Attorney General.
