CJ urges judges to be wary of people exploiting family ties

The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Wood on Friday advised judges to be wary of litigating parties, who would want to exploit their relationship with their families to achieve their selfish ends.

She said judges must be quick to take up the challenge of fiercely protecting their family relations from the pressures of influences.

Mrs Justice Wood was speaking at the swearing-in of eight new High Court Judges in Accra.

The new judges have successfully gone through rigorous recruitment process including examinations, assessment of judgments and addresses, interviews and background checks by the national security.

They are Mr Emmanuel Ankamah, Mr Richard M. Kogyapwah, Mr Jerome Noble Nkrumah, Mr George Krofa Addae, Mrs Nana Adwoa Coleman, Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh, Mrs Naa Adole Azu and Mrs Merley Afua Wood.

Mrs Justice Wood also said families equally had the patriotic duty to assist the judges to protect the sanctity of the high office they occupied by refusing to be a party to any act or mission that undermined the independence of judges.

She said the families by this act were in essence defending and preserving the integrity of the judicial branch of government and by extension, Ghana.

Mrs Justice Wood also charged the judges to treat people who accessed the courts with civility and respect as well as attending to their needs in a timely manner.

She said they must exhibit personal and professional integrity, punctuality, productivity, competence and diligence in the discharge of their duties, which she said would undoubtedly earn them respect and honour of the Bar as well as the general public.

Mr Peter Swenes, Vice President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) commended the new judges for their elevation to the new position.

He said their rise showed the hard work they had put in over the years and as such must not rest on their oars.

He said as justices of the High Court they must bear in mind that their erudite judgments and decisions would endear them to the general public as well as members of the Bar Association.