Police prosecutorsA criminal defense lawyer, Martin Kpebu, is advocating the fading out of police prosecutors in the cities to rural communities. He explained that there cannot be development in the judicial system when persons who are not lawyers serve as prosecutors in court. Across the country’s courts, police officers who have not been trained as lawyers are at the forefront of criminal prosecutions especially in the lower courts. Speaking on the topic ‘the challenges of the criminal defense lawyer to all indigent defendants’ Mr. Kpebu observed criminal procedures have not seen any improvement because nonprofessionals are engaged in justice delivery. Currently, a private legal aid body, Helplaw Ghana with support from the open society initiative of West Africa Osiwa, is advocating reforms in the criminal justice system with the purpose of decongesting the prisons. The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, Professor Ken Attafuah, said criminals have been represented by some private lawyers on pro bono contrary to the assertion that criminal lawyers do not engage in cases for free. He said the Ghana Legal Aid Scheme is challenged leading to suspects spending so many years in prison without representation in court. A law lecturer at GIMPA Law School, Edmund Amarkwei Foli, suggested probation in the criminal system to decongest the prisons. Executive Director of Helplaw Ghana, Eric Alifo, said the country’s legal aid system is ineffective and has contributed to the failure in justice delivery. By Godfred Tanam|TV3|editors.3news.com|Ghana
