Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo believes the process by which judges are appointed to Ghana’s judiciary lacks transparency, calling for greater transparency and reforms to strengthen public trust in the system.
“I have a passionate view and I have had it for quite a long time about how the judiciary is appointed, because the manner in which the appointment is made leaves a lot to be desired,” she said in an interview on Channel One TV.
According to her, the current process lacks the openness necessary to inspire confidence and fairness.
“There is not much transparency in the process, and it’s important for that to happen, because otherwise, it leads to all kinds of speculation, that someone got appointed because of this or that, since people may not know the reality of the qualifications and merits of the appointment,” she explained.
Touching on ongoing discussions about reducing the number of Supreme Court justices, the former Chief Justice noted that such a move must be considered carefully and in relation to the court’s workload.
“You can only begin to talk about limiting the number of Supreme Court justices if you also look at the scope and magnitude of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court,” she said, stressing that the issue is not as simple as setting a cap.
“For as long as everyone has a right of access, and cases of all kinds keep coming, how can you limit the number of judges?” she questioned.
