General News of Thursday, 24 October 2024

Source: myxyzonline.com

Be professional in handling political disputes – Domelevo cautions Supreme Court

Former Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo Former Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo

Former Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo has called on Judges to exhibit professionalism in ruling on matters that are political, stressing that the courts are becoming too predictable with their adjudication of political issues.

Wading into the worried trajectory of judgments being delivered by the Judiciary in recent times, Domelevo urged the judiciary to be guided by the findings of the National Security Minister on the predictability of the courts.

He made these comments at an event organized by Crusaders for Change in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

His comment comes in the wake of confusion in Parliament over which party caucus can occupy the majority seat, following the declaration of some four (4) seats vacant by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.

The Supreme Court ruled on the matter, staying the execution of the Speaker’s declaration after the MP for Effutu and then Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, took the matter to court.

Most legal luminaries commenting on the matter have said the Supreme Court ought to have stayed away from the parliamentary stalemat.

Dumelevo contends that when the trajectory becomes the norm in the courts, the country could be heading for doom.

“My last admonition goes to the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court. I would like to admonish them that they should heed the advice given to them by the Minister of National Security, Honourable Kan-Dapaah.

“He told them that if their interpretation is tilted so much towards us [NPP] all the time, it will create a problem. It is creating problems. And I heard one quote, I don’t know how true it is.

“I read somewhere that the former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo said the Supreme Court is now very predictable. If she actually said it, then I could not agree more with her because most of you knew what the results were going to be before it came. I don’t think we need that. We need professionalism,” he urged.

Corruption

Domelevo, an anti-corruption activist, also linked some of the biases that may underpin the rulings in the country’s courts to corruption.

Speaking at the event dubbed “The Scarface of Corruption in Ghana: A Nation in a Sinking Ship,” Domelevo expressed deep concern over the increasing number of corruption cases across the country.

He urged the electorate to use their votes as a tool for accountability, ensuring that leaders perceived to be corrupt are not returned to office.

“The generation ahead of us is a very wicked generation. They want to take everything today and what will even come tomorrow. And we must stop it. You have enough knowledge and power to say to our leaders no, enough is enough,” he stated while expressing worry about how corruption among politicians have led to the destruction of forest reserves and river bodies through illegal mining (galamsey).

“…We are in an election year. Let’s say enough is enough for anybody we think is corrupt. Not only at the presidential level but even at the parliamentary level, you know them. Let’s make sure that we stop them in their tracks. Otherwise, you and I have no future.”

The conference was held in the Eastern Premier Hotel in the Eastern Region with famous speakers such as Dr. Chris Kpodar Solomon, the Executive Director at Solomon Investment Ghana Limited; Physician and political activist Dr. Arthur Kennedy; Former Trade Minister, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, and Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo, a former Auditor-General, and Dr Suzanne Nti, the Chairperson of Crusaders Against Corruption (CACG).

These speakers discussed important corruption scandals from the last seven years and presented an in-depth examination of how corruption has hampered national growth, showing visual representations of important corruption instances will be used to help the general public grasp the scope of the problem.

The conference aims to involve citizens, anti-corruption activists, and institutions in a discussion about how to combat corruption and promote good governance in Ghana.

By shining awareness on the negative effects of corruption and its link to poverty, the event hopes to promote more accountability and civic action, pushing the people to hold officials accountable for establishing a transparent and corruption-free government.