Claims that the Chief Justice has handpicked cases involving NPP figures for prosecution during the legal vacation are simply not borne out by the way vacation courts operate, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, has argued.
He said the warrants appointing vacation judges do not identify or assign specific cases, making it inaccurate to suggest that the Chief Justice deliberately selected particular accused persons for trial.
“This is absolute falsehood,” Dr. Srem-Sai said, expressing concern that the claim was creating an impression of political partiality within the judiciary.
According to him, 11 judges in the Greater Accra Region are sitting during the current legal vacation, with about 30 vacation judges across the country.
He questioned how such a broad judicial arrangement could reasonably be presented as one designed specifically to pursue cases involving NPP figures.
Dr. Srem-Sai further pointed out that not every case being prosecuted by the Attorney-General’s Office is continuing during the vacation.
He said some cases cannot proceed because the judges originally handling them are on vacation, stressing that prosecutors cannot simply move those matters to another court because they want them heard.
He also dismissed suggestions that vacation judges are dealing exclusively with cases prosecuted by the Attorney-General, noting that matters involving the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) are also being heard during the period.
The Deputy Attorney-General maintained that the determining factor is whether a matter is already before a judge who has been designated to sit during the vacation, rather than the political affiliation or identity of the accused person.
He therefore accused those advancing the contrary argument of misleading the public and unfairly portraying the Chief Justice as being partial in the handling of politically sensitive cases.
Dr. Srem-Sai insisted that vacation judges hear cases properly before their courts, and the Chief Justice’s warrants do not single out NPP cases for special treatment.
