Judicial Service Asserts Judges Transfers Aren’t Aimed at Truncating Cases

The Judicial Service of Ghana (JSG) has stated that the transfer of judges by the Chief Justice as part of her administrative mandate is not aimed at truncating cases or frustrating the flow of justice.

This comes after it was reported that the CJ had transferred Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori, who presided over the criminal trial of Alex Kwabena Safo Kantanka, a suspect under investigation for corruption by the Special Prosecutor, was transferred just when she was due to deliver judgment.

The Service in a statement explained that Judges are transferred annually and when necessitated by the circumstances of Judges or the court they serve in and not meant to disrupt cases.

“The Judicial Service of Ghana hereby reiterates that transfers are not done or intended to truncate cases.”

It furthered, “In every case, Judges on transfer are supposed to deliver judgments in cases they have completed and to complete cases they have heard close to completion. There are standard procedures for transferred Judges to follow, including submission of a Case Completion Plan, to the Office of the Chief Justice, which allows a warrant to be issued to the Judge to deliver outstanding judgments and rulings, and to complete trials that are near completion.”

Confirming the transfer of the said presiding judge from Kumasi to Accra, it said forms part of the 2024 beginning of legal year transfers of more than twenty Judges at all levels of court.

She is said to have presented the list of all outstanding judgments and rulings, and has been authorized to deliver ALL OUTSTANDING JUDGMENTS AND RULINGS.

Meanwhile, on Friday, November 29, 2024, the judge presented the required Case Completion Plan, for a warrant to complete cases that are close to completion, it noted.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini