The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has questioned the quality of justice delivered in the sentence handed members of the pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) vigilante group, the Delta Force, when the court slapped only a fine on the convicts.
He wondered if justice was served in that ruling and asked: “If even it has been served, the question may be asked whether the quality of justice was served.”
The Asantehene, who was speaking at the 16th Annual Chief Justice Forum in Kumasi on Monday, asked: “If someone steals a goat and is fined GH¢5,000 and additionally slapped with a jail term, how can people who invade a courtroom, overpower the security, release suspects and put the life of the judge and staff in danger be fined only GH¢1,800 and be discharged?”
“If such judgements came from the courts, how can you prevent people from questioning the quality of justice delivered by our judges?” he asked.
Bad lots
Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who was delivering the keynote address on the theme: “Quality judges delivering quality justice”, remarked that it would take only one case or very few cases for the quality of justice to be thrown to the wind.
“I hope and pray that by the end of this forum, the exact ramifications of quality justice will be more meaningfully appreciated, so that we can all be witnesses to the realisation of the theme of quality judges delivering quality judgements,” he stated.
It would be recalled that 13 members of the Delta Force were convicted by a district court last month for conspiracy to riot and rioting and fined GH¢1,800 each.
They were also to sign bonds to be of good behaviour for 12 months or in default go to jail for 12 months.
That was for their involvement in the fracas at the Regional Coordinating Council early this year over the appointment of Mr George Adjei as the Regional Security Liaison officer.
Quality justice
According to the Asantehene, quality justice was an essential component of the rule of law, saying that by convention “judicial activity is assessed by reference to the inherent quality of judicial decisions, namely, the quality of their reasoning and the dispatch with which those decisions are delivered”.
He said the quality of justice was what citizens felt out of litigation, their wishes and their aspirations, adding: “Quality of justice cannot be considered in the abstract; it must necessarily be related to the people for whom justice is delivered.
“We are at the receiving end for whom justice is intended to serve. It is the standard of the beneficiaries of justice that the quality is measured. Whether what the judge does in his delivery functions is qualitative or not is determined by us the beneficiaries.”
Consequently, he suggested that the people on whose behalf justice was being administered must always be taken into account, adding: “To ignore us amounts to failure to deliver justice because you cannot judge yourselves.”
“Whatever benchmarks you establish in pursuit of quality justice, prominence should be given to the expeditious disposal of cases, for ‘justice delayed is justice denied’,” he stated.
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice, Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, noted that reforms in the justice system were too important to be left to lawyers and judges alone.
“To create and build a good justice delivery system, the people it serves have to be intimately involved,” she stated.
She said the theme for the 2017-2018 Legal Year had been chosen to enhance the critical standards for judges in the administration of justice.
She said it was one that elicited thought about the qualities and failings the justice delivery system or the Judicial Service needed to focus on and deal with, adding: “Both the public and the professionals have views on the theme from their own personal experiences or based on reactions to shortcomings in the judicial system.”
Those failings, according to Ms Justice Akuffo, included the slowness, cost, remoteness, complexity, resulting in an apparent lack of transparency, trust and public confidence.
“I am of the strong conviction that whether storm-battered or weather beaten, it is still a justice system around which a modern justice system can be rebuilt. We have come a great distance towards finding real solutions to the challenges in our judicial system,” she stated.
Source: Daily Graphic
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I BELIEVE THE OTUMFUO SHOULDN'T HAD MADE ANY COMMENT AFTER JUDGEMENT HAS BEEN PASSED BY THE LAW COURTS. IT IS RATHER UNFORTUNATE HE WEIGHED INTO THIS ISSUE. PLEASE REGARDLESS OF EVERYTHING LET'S GIVE THE OTUMFUO THE NECESSARY RESPECT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STOOL'S CREDIBILITY.
What was he expecting those guys to be shot or what?This is a totally unfair comment. In the fist place judges pass judgement in cases based on the particular charge. Then in all cases if the accused is found guilty there is a maximum sentence and a minimum sentence. The threshold that is upheld is at the judges discretion and the arguments of the defence lawyers. So King do you know the charges that were preferred against these boys and do you know the maximum sanctions for those charges if the accused is found guilty?When people threatened the former chief justice with rape I never heard you comment when after a few days in jail they were sprung by Mahama.
WHY ALL THSES TALK TALK? LET OUR NDC CHIEF TALK. IF HE DID NOT COMMENT ON YENTIE 3 AND REFUSED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE ELECTION PETITION DURING MAHAMA TIME, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? HE IS OUR MAN SO LEAVE HIM ALONE. HE WILL ALWAYS BE NDC. HE IS ONLY FUUULLING NANA ADDO. GO OTUNFUO! NDC LOVES YOU!
To all those insulting Otumfuo it’s out of pain that you can never be like him non of your family members can ever be like him you are only insulting him out of jealousy.
Ghanaians have really lost the culture of respect. Go ahead and insult him because your parents didn't bring you up the proper way that is why the youth of today are suffering and dying at a very young age
No need for insult. explain why you are not agreed with him. MONTIE 3 was not freed by a judge. so don't compare. lets respect our elders so as to live long.
Well spoken, Nana
he want to bring him self,when u were dancing to yentie obiaa with the corrupt president what did u say.keep quite and chop ur king.
I personally do not think the Ashanti king made a mistake by commenting on the judgement of the delta force, so why all these insults, please, that is not the best way to go, Let us at least have some respect for our elders regardless of their mistakes for we will one day grow and become like them.
Look who's about quality of justice and justice! This man has no moral right talk about quality justice delivery in Ghana when in his own backyard judgment goes to the highest bidder. Asantehene, please just go back to review cases you yourself has sat on and judged like Ampabame no 1 case and see if you delivered justice to the people. There are uncountable number of cases that come to your palace judgement of which you and your crooked sub-chiefs sell to those who have money. People's property have been taken from them merely because they are poor. In your crooked kingdom, the poor has no place. At least in the case of Delta force conviction went to the wrong doer, the only deficiency been the quantum of punishment. In your case, people are taking over the properties of others just because they have money than the other faction. If you don't know, Asantehene, there is an impending implosion in the region and you will not go scot free for all the injustices you have dished out to the poor in the Ashanti Region.