Supreme Court nominee, Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, has made a strong case for scrapping the mandatory death penalty in Ghana’s legal framework, stressing the need for judicial discretion in capital punishment cases.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, Justice Adjei argued that sentencing should not be automatic and must reflect a respect for life.
“I agree that the mandatory imposition of the death sentence is wrong,” he declared. “If a person goes to court and is to be convicted and suffer death, first and foremost, we must respect life.
“The judge who heard the matter should have the discretion—either to give a number of years or impose the death sentence.”
Justice Adjei cited Ghana’s obligations under international law as a key reason for his stance.
“Ghana is a signatory to the African Charter, and Article 4 provides that you must respect life,” he explained.
“The African Court has variously held that any decision by any country that does not give a judge discretion in the imposition of the death sentence is in violation of Article 4.”
He further warned that Ghana risks international embarrassment if this outdated policy is not reviewed: “If cases from Ghana happen to go before the court, we are going to face the same fate. We are going to lose.”
