Mr. Osei Prempeh is Ghana's Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice
By William Yaw Owusu
There is only one state attorney each in the Upper East and Upper West Regions and this is woefully inadequate for the handling of the numerous cases on behalf of the state, Kwame Osei-Prempeh, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice has said.
He said for the Northern Region there are only two state attorneys even though all the regions are supposed to have more than five attorneys each to be able to facilitate the administration of justice.
Mr. Osei-Prempeh was speaking in Accra yesterday at the swearing in of 36 new lawyers to the bar.
Before the enrolment, the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina T. Wood, the Deputy Minister and some members of the General Legal Council had sworn into office two other magistrates.
She again swore in 25 new justice of the High Court after the enrolment of the new lawyers.
President J.A. Kufuor who should personally sworn in the superior court judges as specified under the constitution delegated his power to the Chief Justice to supervise the swearing in ceremony which was well attended.
Mr. Osei-Prempeh said the government is making efforts to address the staff situation at the Attorney Generals’ Department through the provision of incentives such as accommodation, vehicles and special allowance to entice more lawyers to join the department.
He also said every state attorney working in the three northern will now serve three years and then be posted to other parts of the country to encourage all staff to accept postings to the north.
He urged lawyers to join the AG’s Department saying “you should be prepared to serve anywhere in Ghana and we will make sure to see to your needs”.
During the swearing in of the judges, Mr. Osei-Prempeh charged them to dispense justice in a democratic manner and work towards the consolidation of democracy in Ghana.
“Ghana in moving ahead democratically. Rule of law is being entrenched and this makes your role very crucial in our democratic dispensation. Your conduct will be very essential”.
He said nurturing the country’s democracy should not be left to the politicians alone and urged the judges to “balance the equation to ensure stability”.
He also urged them to take steps to ensure that people always have confidence in the administration of justice.
Justice Wood in administering the oaths of allegiance, secrecy and judicial oath said “Ghanaians have a legitimate expectation that you will contribute significantly to the building of a just, free and democratic nation”.
She urged them to exercise firm and proper control over courtroom staff to ensure that the courts did not turn into humiliation centres for lawyers and litigants.
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