The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has taken exception to the recent unwarranted criticisms and attacks in the media against judges for their decisions.
National President Yaw Acheampong Boafo observed most of these critics do not familiarise themselves with the judgement before throwing such attacks.
“It is more scandalous and disturbing when they are done by persons with legal backgrounds, who are conversant with their remedies and options under the law if they disagreed with a decision,” he said on Friday, June 30 as the Association marked 41 years of the death of some three judges.
Called Matyrs Day, the commemoration marks the killing of Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addo, Justice Fred Poku Sarkodie and Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong in 1982.
Mr Acheampong Boafo urged all to learn from the past as he suggested that the soldiers who killed these judges may not have read their judgements but were indoctrinated by persons who had been exposed to these written judgements.
On that score, he descended heavily on the Minority for the recent outbursts against the decision of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo in the James Gyakye Quayson case.
The Minority had suspended a decision on Justice Torkornoo on the Appointments Committee with the pretext that the members were awaiting her decision in the case.
The GBA National President said what was worse was when a leader of the Minority Caucus attacked the immediate past Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin Yeboah, unjustifiably.
“In the highly volatile partisan environment we unfortunately find ourselves, such a statement was unfortunate and grossly irresponsible and it caused consternation among the rank and file of the GBA, especially when the author of the accusations failed to give particulars of the specific cases or decisions by the immediate past Chief Justice that occasioned the miscarriage of justice and by what scientific tools he used to measure the level of miscarriage of justice under Chief Justice Anin Yeboah.”
He admonished all to be circumspect “both in our actions and statements to ensure that no judge in this country should ever suffer the tragedy and fate of the martyrs we celebrate today”.