Let Your Clients Talk To The Media, Lawyers Told

Justice J.C Amonoo Monney, a Retired Court of Appeal Judge, has called on lawyers who grant interviews on matter before the court to desist from such behaviours.

He said accused persons who are involved in cases could rather grant such interviews.

Justice Amonoo Monney said lawyers who normally grant interviews do not talk about the law but tend to do politics saying, “Let us learn how to talk about law and not politics.”

The Retired Court of Appeal Judge was speaking at this year’s Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana Conference in Accra on the theme: “Restoring the Image of the Judiciary.”

He said it was not a good practice to ask parties in cases to file their addresses at the same time, adding that it is proper that one party file and the other does so on another date.

He said it is proper to continue to nurture advocacy when counsels are allowed to address the court.

He said in criminal matters where addresses often filed, the jury may sometimes not read them and urged the court to not to kill advocacy in court.

Justice Amonoo Monney admonished judges and magistrates to hold onto their Code of Ethics adding the greatest Code of Ethics was the Bible.

Mrs Justice Rose Owusu, a retired Supreme Court Judge, asked the judges and magistrates to be careful with bribes and gifts, saying gifts normally come with hidden agenda.

Justice Owusu told the judges that people who come with gifts would later come to them to seek favours stressing that “once you receive those gifts, it would be difficult to ward them off”.

"When you accept the gift you also lose your respect and it is tedious to restore that,” she said and urged them to adhere to their Code of Conduct as that was enough to put them on guard.  

Mr Benson Nutsukpi, the President of the Ghana Bar Association, said mutual respect between the bench and the bar was declining.

He said there is the need to do away with issues that tend to bring about the disrespect and pledged the GBA’s commitment to do all it could to protect the independence of the judiciary.