The Executive Director of the Centre for Legitimacy and Rule of Law, Richard Nii Amarh, has called for complete transparency in the appointment of the chairman and other officials who will preside over the new tribunals.
He stressed that the selection process must be open, credible, and grounded strictly in competence, integrity, and professional experience. Warning against any perception of secrecy, political interference, or favouritism, he noted that such flaws would severely undermine public confidence in the tribunal’s integrity. He added that appointing individuals with strong political ties would inevitably trigger accusations of skewed outcomes, emphasizing that appointees must remain entirely neutral and free of political affiliations.
“The best practice we have to seek is to ensure that the appointments of those who will work at the tribunal will have no political affiliation,” Mr Amarh said on Nyankonton Mu Nsem. “The Chairman, who is supposed to be a lawyer, should not have any links to political parties. We should not appoint people known to be communicators of political parties. The tribunal chairman is like a judge, and so if you appoint someone who is a known politician belonging to a political party, it will be perceived that they will skew cases. The other important thing that will ensure best practice is for them to go according to what the law stipulates. Officials must abide by the provisions in the law.”
He also pointed out that all the bills assented to by the President, including the Tribunal Bill, came into effect immediately upon signing.
While the new laws are now active, the Centre for Legitimacy and Rule of Law maintains that establishing new tribunals is not the ultimate solution to clearing case backlogs. Mr Amarh reiterated that Ghana’s existing courts lack basic logistical support, including computers and printers, arguing that the resources funnelled into creating new tribunals would have been better spent expanding the current court system and appointing more judges.
He concluded that the responsibility now rests with the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, along with the Chief Justice, to ensure that the necessary legal procedures are strictly followed to operationalise the newly enacted laws.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
