Elmina (C/R), Sept 29, GNA - The Minister of Justice and Attorney General Papa Owusu Ankomah on Monday said that the government would accept and respect court decisions even if such judgements go against it. He said this when he was addressing the 2003/2004 national Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) at Elmina. The three-day conference under the theme: "Consolidating constitutionalism in Ghana: the role of the legal profession" is being attended by members of GBA from various parts of the country. Papa Owusu Ankomah said the government will therefore, continue to respect the independence of the judiciary and would refrain from interfering with judicial process because of the confidence it has in it.

He said the government is determined to support, within the limited resources of the Nation, the Judiciary and other constitutional and statutory bodies and would ensure that public officers do not abuse the trust imposed on them by the people. "This government is passionately committed to constitutionalism and would do all within its power to entrench it in the body politic.'' Papa Owusu Ankomah, MP for Sekondi, therefore, reminded the members of the GBA to eschew and condemn venality in all its shapes and forms. He commended members of the association for their stance against acts in the past, which impinged on freedom and justice such as their oppositions to the preventive detection act and the public tribunal system.

The Western Regional Minister, Mr Boahene Aidoo, who has assumed temporary responsibility for the Central Region, said corruption in the Judiciary has the tendency to undermine confidence in the System. He appealed to the Judiciary to live above reproach to gain the confidence of the people.