The Member of Parliament for Kwesimintsim, Hon. Philip Fiifi Buckman, has defended the Tribunal Bill currently before Parliament, asserting that it will expedite criminal trials and enhance the country’s criminal justice system.
Contributing to the debate at the consideration stage, Hon. Buckman defined a tribunal as “a specialized adjudicatory body often a board or committee officially authorized to resolve specific types of disputes.” He clarified that, contrary to suggestions by some colleagues, the tribunals established under the Bill will not handle civil disputes.
“It is a constitutional provision which is being carried out. this tribunal is not going to deal with civil matters, it’s going to help in adjudication in criminal matters,” he said.
Hon. Buckman argued that whilst the District, Circuit, High, Appeal, and Supreme Courts form the core judiciary, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court lack original jurisdiction.
Consequently, the new tribunals are designed to complement the criminal jurisdiction of the lower courts. He also dismissed historical concerns regarding tribunals, emphasizing that Ghana now operates within a robust constitutional framework.
“We are now in a constitutional era and looking at the bill as was stated by the venerable Attorney General, all mechanisms which are in the constitution to protect rights of persons, all mechanisms to ensure that people who appear before these courts and the tribunals are given fair trials… are all in the bill,” he stated.
The Kwesimintsim MP stressed that protracted delays in criminal trials place an unfair burden on the accused.
“Mr Speaker, if somebody is charged with a criminal offense sometimes it takes years for that matter to be dealt with. Sometimes two years, sometimes three years and if somebody has a criminal charge around that person’s neck it becomes an albatross…”
He maintained that establishing district and regional tribunals would accelerate legal proceedings, ensuring that “whether the person is guilty or not guilty that person is going to have expeditious trials to be able to have his fate determined.”
“I humbly pray and add my voice to the call for all of us to accept this and to make it go through for the betterment of all of us,” he concluded.
Parliament is currently considering the Bill clause by clause to establish the legal framework for the operation of these district and regional tribunals.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
