General News of Thursday, 19 September 2024

Source: starrfm.com.gh

Judges are begging the Executive to be promoted – Barker-Vormawor alleges

Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a private legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a private legal practitioner

The Constitutional Rights and Policy Strategy Advisor, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has raised concerns about judges begging the Executive for their allowances and the numerous faults in the Constitution.

In a conversation on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. Barker-Vormawor criticized the Ghanaian judiciary for not adhering to constitutional protocols regarding trial adjournments.

According to him, the court has still not commenced a coup case against him.

“Since 2021, there have been no trials, despite the constitution stating that cases cannot be adjourned for more than a month,” Barker-Vormawor disclosed.

He highlighted that the judiciary’s failure to uphold this law, with some cases adjourned for three months, constitutes a breach of legal standards.

Mr. Barker-Vormawor also expressed concerns about the judiciary’s integrity, suggesting that it operates under undue influence from the executive arm of government.

“I think it behooves those of us in the legal profession to talk about the dysfunction of our judiciary. We have a justice system that lacks the courage to dismiss these ridiculous charges. Because everybody is looking at the executives and begging for appointments and hoping to be promoted, that’s also a constitutional fault.

“Because the design makes it such that judges are begging the executive to get promoted. The Chief Justice at one point was begging the presidency to give them their allowances.”

He continued: “We have the current Chief Justice writing to the President to appoint people to the Supreme Court.”