Supreme Court nominee Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo delivered a defense of judicial independence during his parliamentary vetting.
He dismissed concerns that the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine’s pre-trial publicity could influence court outcomes.
His remarks came in response to Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s questioning about the AG’s press conferences, which he believes are targeting former government officials accused of corruption.
“I would rather be shocked that any judge who understands his role ought to be influenced by a statement made by a prosecutor or the Attorney General even before the matter comes in,” he said.
The nominee’s comments directly addressed growing unease over the AG’s practice of publicly condemning defendants before trials conclude.
Justice Ackaah-Boafo centred his argument in Ghana’s judicial principles, distinguishing between decisional independence and institutional independence.
“Judicial independence, clearly as we understand it, there is decisional independence and institutional independence. In decisional independence, the judges hear evidence, the facts and apply the law.”
He noted that judges “speak only through judgments,” despite which way the narrative goes in public conversations.
“I will do my work, or judges do their work based on the evidence they receive in the courtroom. Yes, for an uneducated mind, it might create the impression that the judge has done something untoward, but we only speak through our judgment.”
The justice insisted that such perceptions reflect ignorance of legal processes.
“If providing that information will make people think that the person was already guilty but the trial did not meet that standard, I think it rather undermines the integrity of the person who put that information out there than the judge,” he added.
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