Full Text: Foreign Travels by Head of The Judiciary And Superior Court Judges

CURRENT

Title of Policy: FOREIGN TRAVELS BY HEAD OF THE JUDICIARY AND

SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES

• Policy No:

Type of Policy: OVERSEAS TRAVEL FOR OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Effective Date: 5TH JANUARY 2019

• Last Revised: 2010

Purpose of Policy

The purpose of this Policy is to outline the necessary security and protocol requirements to support the Foreign Travels of the Chief Justice as Head of the Judiciary. It also provides for the logistical needs of Superior Court Judges on Official Travel.

This Policy draws its strength from the other two arms of Government where the state fully covers the travel expenses of the Aide-De-Camp and Protocol Officer or Personal Assistant who accompany the respective Heads on their Foreign Travels.

Policy Statement

The primary responsibility of the Judicial Service is to ensure that the Chief Justice is accorded maximum security and the required courtesies at all times as Head of the Judiciary and the fourth in line in the hierarchy of the State. To this end the State shall deploy requisite funding to assure safety and ease of travel at all times by the Chief Justice.

Policy Owner: Judicial Secretary 

Implementers

Judicial Secretary and Deputy Judicial Secretaries. Communications Directorate Finance Directorate Staff. Judicial Service Teams involved in Financial Management who need to know about this policy directive.

Procedure

1. OFFICIAL TRAVEL BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE
2. The Chief Justice shall be accorded maximum security and courtesies on all official travels.

2. The Chief Justice shall travel with the Aide-De-Camp and Protocol Officer or any other person the Chief Justice may choose as a Personal Assistant, be it the Head of Secretariat, Secretary or any Staff or Judge
3. As per the recommendations of the Professor Dora Francisca Adu-Buandoh Presidential Committee on Emoluments, the Chief Justice shall travel First Class or Business Class where the former is unavailable.

4. The Chief Justice shall be provided 5-Star Hotel Accommodation where available on all foreign Travels. However, if accommodation provided by the host is not as stipulated, this shall be upgraded by the Judicial Service.

5. The two accompanying officers shall travel Business Class or Economy where necessary in order to discharge their responsibilities to the Chief Justice.

6. Where the Chief Justice is in Business Class, the two accompanying Officers could be in the same cabin or the immediate cabin following.

7. The Judicial Service shall accommodate the accompanying Officers in the same Hotel at the rates of their actual ranks while ensuring that their rooms are in proximity with that of the Chief Justice.

8. Where the lowest cost of a room at the said hotel is higher than the rates applicable to the ranks of the accompanying Officers, the Service shall pay for the accommodation (Bed & Breakfast) while paying the Officers abated per diem.

9. The Chief Justice shall undertake unlimited official travels with either his/her Spouse or other person of his/her choice in a year, fully funded by the Judicial Service.

10. Where the Chief Justice is accompanied by the Spouse or other person, he/she shall travel on the same class of air ticket as the Chief Justice and shall be paid the equivalent of half the per diem paid to the Chief Justice.
11. Where the official trip is sponsored by other organisations, the Communications Directorate shall confer with the organisers to determine the extent of sponsorship, in terms or air ticket, accommodation and Daily Subsistence Allowance.

12. Where the logistics provided by the organisation fall short of what the Chief Justice ordinarily is entitled to, the Service shall make up for the shortfall.

13. Where the organisers indicate sponsorship for an accompanying person, the extent of sponsorship will be compared to that of the Service and the shortfall, if any, shall be borne by the Service.

14. In the case of Quinquennial Leave, the Chief Justice shall travel with his/her Security without the accompaniment of a Personal Assistant unless the leave involves performance of official assignments.

1. PERSONAL TRAVEL BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE
2. The Chief Justice shall be entitled to two round trip Business Class tickets (Accra-London-Accra) to be utilised during his/her vacation. Travel expenses, hotel accommodation and per diem will be borne by the Judicial Service and capped at 14 days per round trip.

2. Where the Chief Justice embarks on a personal or private foreign travel, he/she shall be accompanied by the Security alone.
3. The travel expenses of the Security comprising, air ticket, hotel accommodation and per diem shall be borne by the Judicial Service.

1. OFFICIAL TRAVEL BY JUSTICES OF THE SUPERIOR COURT
2. As per the recommendations of the Professor Dora Francisca Adu-Buandoh Presidential Committee on Emoluments for article 71 Office Holders (2013-2017), as it affects Justices of the Superior Courts of Judicature, Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal shall travel Business Class and shall be accommodated in a 4-Star Hotel.

2. Justices of the High Court shall travel Economy Class and be provided with accommodation.

3. Where the hotel rate is not within their approves per diem rate, the Service shall pay for the hotel accommodation and the per diem shall be abated accordingly.

4. Where any Judge is accompanying the Chief Justice on a Foreign Travel, he/she shall be accommodated in the same hotel as the Chief Justice for ease of contact and assistance to the Chief Justice.

5. Where the Foreign Travel involve a group of five or more Judges, they shall be accompanied by a Protocol Officer who shall accord them the needed courtesies.

6. Where the official Travel is sponsored by another organisation, the Communications Directorate shall confer with the organisers to determine the extent of sponsorship, in terms or air ticket, accommodation and Daily Subsistence Allowance.

7. Where the logistics provided fall short of what the Judge or Justices will ordinarily be entitled to, the Service shall make up for the shortfall.

References

1. As pertains at the Executive and Legislative Arms of Government relating to their respective Heads

2. Recommendations of the Professor Dora Francisca Adu-Buandoh Presidential Committee on Emoluments for article 71 Office Holders (2013-2017) as it affects Justices of the Superior Courts of Judicature, approved by the President dated 23rd December 2016.

3. Judicial Council following the recommendations of the Fred Ohene Kena Committee’s report on allowances for the Chief Justice in 2009 which took effect in 2010