The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has strongly emphasized that the selection of judges for the judiciary is primarily driven by meritocracy.
He highlights that appointments to the lower courts are openly advertised in newspapers.
During his address at the 2023 Ghana Bar Conference held in Cape Coast on Monday, Mr. Acheampong Boafo clarified that applicants for these judicial positions are not required to disclose their political beliefs or affiliations as part of the appointment process.
“It is instructive to state that same as the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court where nominations are made by three parties namely the government represented by the Attorney General, the judiciary, and the Bar, appointments to lower courts bench and high court are pursuant to advertisements in the dailies inviting persons qualified to apply,” he said.
“There is never a requirement that an applicant has to show his political affiliation,” he added.
This matter has gained significant attention in recent times, sparked by former President John Mahama’s claim that President Akufo-Addo has intentionally populated the courts with judges leaning towards the NPP.
During his speech at the NDC Lawyers Conference held in Akosombo on September 2, Mr. Mahama accused President Akufo-Addo of appointing individuals affiliated with his party to the judiciary with the aim of swaying judicial decisions in their favor. He went further to encourage NDC lawyers to be prepared to assume positions within the judiciary in order to restore a balanced composition on the bench.
“Our lawyers, some of you must be prepared to go onto the bench, I know that some of you have very lucrative legal practices you will not want to leave and go onto the bench. But you can see what the current President has done; he appointed the largest number of judges onto the bench. More than 80 towards hundred and counting.”
“He’s packed the court and we know that they’ve packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office.
“So, all manner of people who have been known to be partisan, to have been executives of their party who are in the legal profession have been leapfrogged onto the Superior courts and other places,” he said.
The President underscored the perilous nature of Mr. Mahama’s statement, asserting that such remarks should not emanate from a figure of his stature, as they pose a significant threat to the nation’s advancement.
Speaking at the Ghana Bar Conference held at the University of Cape Coast on Monday, September 11, President Akufo-Addo characterized this incident as the most audacious assault ever witnessed by the Ghanaian Judiciary throughout its history.
He thus urged the public to call out the former president for such “reckless” comments that he says sought to jeopardise the Judiciary.
“I have gone into this matter in detail because of a new issue which has been introduced into our public discourse by no less a public figure than the fourth president of the fourth republic perennial NDC Presidential Candidate John Mahama who has told the world that I have packed the courts with so-called NPP judges and that one of the key purposes a putative NDC victory in 2024 will be to enable him to balance the courts with so-called NDC judges.”
“Not only are these concepts new in our public discourse but they are also extremely dangerous and represent the brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by allegedly responsible politicians,” he said.