Saturday,
May 12, 2012
The inadequacies of our justice administration
system have once again been brought to public attention. The Alliance for Accountable
Governance (AFAG) has issued a press statement decrying the circumstances
surrounding the trial of Alfred Agbesi Woyome over the huge judgement debt paid
to him.
The substance of the case and the
fact that the case is before court notwithstanding, AFAG’s concerns should be
shared by all well-meaning Ghanaians.
To a large extent, though, the
AFAG might not have endeared itself to the hearts of those who see it as an
NPP-motivated pressure group milking the Mills government to fatten the NPP. In
its composition, public statements, and actions such as street demonstrations
against the government, the AFAG appears to be an extension of the NPP, though registered
as a civil society group.
That coloration aside, AFAG has
served some useful purposes, reacting to government’s decisions and (in)actions
that have grave impact on life in the society. It must be commended for that
watchdog role.
Its latest public statement on
the Woyome case stands out as another important intervention. It draws
attention to problems that go beyond Woyome to highlight the bottlenecks in the
entire government bureaucracy that has hindered the prompt administration of
justice. Indeed, AFAG’s complaint touches a raw nerve and focuses our attention
on the judicial system, particularly, as a problematic sector of our national
life.
Many of us have already
identified the Judiciary and its analogous bodies (not forgetting the Ministry
of Justice/Attorney-General’s Department and the Ghana Police Service) as such
and won’t be surprised that they have incurred the displeasure of AFAG too,
although the veiled politicization behind AFAG’s concern is a different story
altogether.
In substance, AFAG’s complaint at
the unnecessary delay in the trial of Woyome—and the suspicion that the
government is tele-guiding the proceedings to get the case quashed for Woyome to
be freed—reflects the deep-seated public discontent at our Judiciary.
Too many cases have piled up at
the courts, accused persons on trial are suffering injustice as if already
convicted, but nobody in authority seems concerned enough to do anything to
solve the problem. New cases get added to the pile every day to make our court
system a graveyard of injustice. That’s the issue.
AFAG is only being bold to raise
this matter, even if it is doing so by using the Woyome case as a crutch. It is
right in every sense to challenge the Judiciary (the third arm of government)
in this case, which makes nonsense of the reaction of a so-called “The Alfred Woyome Communication Team.”
Let’s get the issues in the
correct perspective. The payment of that huge sum of money to Woyome as
judgement debt is before court, indicating that no one should make any comment
on it that may prejudice the trial. Fair enough; but the case has assumed so
wide a dimension that anything that portrays it as being stalled or delayed
unnecessarily by technicalities must be brought up for public discussion.
No one is prejudging the case,
even though sentiments already indicate wrongdoing on the part of government
officials whose laxity (or complicity?) facilitated the payment of the
judgement debt to Woyome.
The fear is that just as the
prosecution failed to pursue the initial case to its logical conclusion, which
enabled the trial judge to dismiss it for want of prosecution, resulting in the
payment of the judgement debt to Woyome, what has begun unfolding in this trial
is following that same path and must be condemned. No one who knows the
implications of this “go-and-come” or “adjourned sine die” will sit down
unconcerned for such a case to be pushed into the maze. It must be
expeditiously dealt with.
That’s the substance of public
outcry, which AFAG has succinctly picked up for reiteration. There is nothing
wrong about this re-articulation of a genuine public concern in a matter that
affects the national coffers from which the 51 million Ghana Cedis was taken
and given to Woyome for no work done for the country!!
We know how weird the labyrinth
in the judicial system is to be worried that if the prosecution doesn’t play
its part properly, the case will end up just like all those piled up over the
years. There is nothing wrong for the public to monitor goings-on and voice
concerns when necessary. That is the beauty of democracy and we must appreciate
it instead of viewing it as a demonstration of jaundiced political interests.
This Woyome case reinforces
public apprehensions against the bureaucracy in the Judiciary that hinders a
timely dispensation of justice. In fact, public concern against the protracting
of cases being prosecuted is real and must be addressed.
What is the problem that prevents
the Judiciary from expediting action on the tons of cases that have piled up in
its purview? There are many unfortunate people on remand in the prisons and
other holding cubicles. A thorough scrutiny of the cases of these unfortunate
people will prove some of them to be innocent of the trumped-up charges that
have sent them into the cooler. Why should those whose duty it is to dispense
justice be so callous as to preside over a system that unjustifiably punishes
fellow human beings?
The Judiciary must carry the
blame because it is not doing much to help administer justice unconditionally
and expeditiously.
Some may cite logistic problems,
technicalities, or inadequate staffing as constraints. I blame the Chief
Justice and the entire administration of the Judicial Service for the lapses. The
Chief Justice lacks innovative ideas to initiate judicial reform and seems
smug, presiding over an institution that is riddled with age-old problems.
The government too is part of the
problem because it is not working hard to upgrade the Judiciary. In this 21st
century with advancements made in technology, it beats one’s understanding why
judges/magistrates should be recording court proceedings in long hand. Or why
things should continue to be done manually—and the authorities feel satisfied
within these confines of mediocrity. Appalling, isn’t it?
The court computerization project
for which the late Victor Selormey and Dan Abodakpi misappropriated funds and
were punished comes to mind. What has become of it? Or what has the Chief
Justice done to introduce alternative measures (such as trial by jury) into the
workings of the Judiciary so that cases can be tried expeditiously?
The basic problem that AFAG’s
apprehension touches on has to do with the State Attorneys and prosecutors at
the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department, whose conduct raises
serious questions that will boil down to the unsatisfactory conditions of
service that doesn’t attract competent “Learned Friends” to work there. It is so
because the government doesn’t provide incentives to motivate staff. Not much
is being done to change the situation for the better because that is what will
serve the purposes of those who don’t want to ensure the prompt administration
of justice.
These frustrating delays in the
trial of cases at the courts have only negative implications, which discourages
Ghanaians from turning to the courts for redress. In effect, the consequences
are clear:
- Vigilante
justice which we see as mob lynching of suspects or innocent people
wrongly framed up and dealt with physically on-the-spur-of-the-moment and
on-the-spot;
- Trial
by ordeal, especially at the courts of the traditional rulers and
ridiculous fines/sanctions imposed on the guilty person without any
intervention by the institutions (police, courts, etc.);
- Intensification
of bribery and corruption. The Judiciary and the Ghana Bar Association may
be quick to deny this allegation and browbeat those making it but the
people know the truth of the matter.
- Loss
of public confidence in the Judiciary, which doesn’t augur well for our
democratization process because a competent Judiciary is needed to
administer justice. Democracy entails justice for the people.
- Law
enforcement will be hampered because a demoralized citizenry will not be
willing to cooperate with the police and other law enforcement agencies,
knowing very well that the cases won’t be prosecuted conclusively.
The government stands to benefit
from an unimpeded trial of Woyome because its image has been dented by this judgement
debt scandal. That is why the State Prosecutors must be made to do the right
thing and soon too.
Other cases still dragging on don’t
say anything good about the government or the Judiciary. The Asamoah Boateng
one is getting on for four years without any sign of its being concluded soon.
No one is calling for any interference
in the affairs of the Judiciary; but the state prosecutors are in the Ministry
of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department, an integral part of the government
machinery at the beck and call of the President, who should be prompted to act
conscientiously to conclude cases.
Unless President Mills doesn’t
know or care about the negative fallouts from the constant losing of cases
(especially the politically motivated ones) by his government, he should sit
down unconcerned for the situation to worsen. In losing all the high profile
cases against former government functionaries, the government has lost face
too.
What else does a President
seeking re-election need to be told before he acts to ensure that the justice
delivery system is enhanced to serve purposes that democratization entails?
This Woyome case has already dimmed the government’s light and the more it
drags on, the better chances are that it will continue to cause havoc till
Election 2012. Maybe, thereafter, the wool will fall off from eyes—but it will
be too late for self-redemption!!
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