Mr Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, a former Deputy Attorney General, has called for measured commentary and balanced perspective on the work of Ghana’s courts.
Speaking on a radio programme aired on Multimedia Networks on Saturday, the former Deputy Attorney General acknowledged the public’s right to analyse and critique court judgments.
Mr Tuah Yeboah, however, cautioned against generalisation that could erode public confidence in Ghana’s judicial system.
His comments come in the wake of ongoing discussions surrounding the judiciary, particularly concerning the recent defamation suit between Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Kennedy Agyapong.
The discussion focused on the fairness and efficiency of Ghana’s legal system, with some critics “unfavourably” comparing it to other jurisdictions, especially the United States of America.
He highlighted the differences in judicial systems, such as the role of juries in civil suits in the USA, in contrast to Ghana where judges decide on matters.
“In the US, you deal with jury trials, which is different from Ghana, where a single judge presides,” Mr Tuah-Yeboah said, and called for reform in Ghana’s defamation laws.
“Is there not some sense in it that here we don’t have, as it were, specific laws for the prosecution of defamation matters, and we have only small rules within CI47? Time and again, it has been requested that we need to promulgate a law like those in the UK and the US, but we don’t have that yet,” he said.
Mr Tuah-Yeboah addressed the debate surrounding jury trials versus single judges, saying that both systems had challenges.
He called for continued efforts to improve the judicial system, while also urging the public to engage in informed and balanced discussions about its strengths and weaknesses.
GNA
