Sammy Gyamfi: National Security documents confirms dampened public confidence in the judiciary 

The National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress has swiftly responded to the Attorney General on the lost confidence in the judiciary.

The young lawyer, Sammy Gyamfi, challenged the Attorney General, Godfred Odame, to read the national security documents of his government to update himself to the fact that, John Mahama did not speak anything new about the Ghanaian judicial service, except that, he reechoed a concerned the national security apparatus are worried with.

The National Security minister in recent past made a comment alluding to the fact that, the rate at which the public was loosing confidence in the judiciary is a security threat. Albert Kan-Dapaah, speaking at a sensitisation workshop on the national security strategy for judges of the superior courts in April this year, warned that the perception that the judiciary is biased has dire consequences on the country’s security. He said if it is not checked, it will compel the citizenry to take the law into their own hands for personal satisfaction with the bench deemed biased.

“Injustice occasioned as a result of the absence of an effective justice delivery system or delayed justice or biased justice is certainly a threat to national security.

“Indeed, when injustice abounds, particularly in situations where the bench, which is considered the final arbiter of disputes, is deemed biased, citizens tend to take the law into their own hands most times without recourse to the established systems of justice delivery,” he said.

He added, “If the interpretation of the law is tilted in our favour all the time, people will start accusing the judiciary and will not have the confidence that they need.”

Also, a Security Analyst reacting to the National Security minister’s comment, defended the Minister and cautioned the judiciary against lopsided judgements.

According to Prof. Kwesi Aning, Ken-Dapaah’s statement was cautioning the judiciary over its unanimous decisions and not accusing the institution. He stressed that the import of the minister’s message was to the effect that some rulings by the apex court have some national security implications.

Prof. Aning, speaking on Joy FM on April 11, urged the public to take the minister’s caution seriously.

He explained, “I think Mr. Kan-Dapaah’s cautionary note is not accusatory, and therein lies my usage of the word early warning, and I think he uses the word, tilt, in a particular sense.

“So, can there be situations where decisions are made which are perceived to be fair and neutral but still create this sense of it being titled?

“I think these discussions must bring the heavyweights like Kweku Azar who has written extensively about the performance of the apex court, Prof. Raymond Atuguba who has said and stated very clearly about the tilts of the courts, depending on who appointed them and certainly, Mr. Kwesi Prempeh, precisely because what Mr. Kan-Dapaah has said is to say that the dispensation with which decisions are made can create insecurities, and it is that cautionary note that we need to take seriously?” Prof Aning noted.

Former President John Mahama recently said the National Democratic Congress has problems with the judiciary and called on the Chief Justice to institute reforms within the courts.

“We do have problems with the Judiciary, I must say. I think that it is necessary for some internal reforms to take place there. It is necessary for the Chief Justice or whoever is responsible to make some reforms,” Mr Mahama has said.

This comment from the former president, pushed the Minister for Justice to react condemning John Mahama.

But, Sammy Gyemfi on his recent tweet challenged Hon. Godfred Odame to read documents from his colleague National Security minister.

Attached are the tweets of Sammy Gyemfi: