The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, was on Thursday, 13th October 2022 re-elected by his peers for an initial two years following an election by the Court’s five-member college of judges.
The election, which followed the assumption of duty of the two new judges of the Court who were sworn in last week in Bissau, Justices Claudio Monteiro Goncalves from Cape Verde and Sengu Mohammed Koroma from Sierra Leone, also saw the re-election of Justice Gberi be-Ouattara as the Vice President of the Court.
The two new Justices of the Court were sworn in on Thursday 6th October 2022 for the ECOWAS Court of Justice by the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Community, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau.
Justice Asante, who was among three judges of the Court whose tenure were extended by the Heads of State and Government of the Community, said his re-election showed the confidence his colleagues reposed in him.
He added that the re-election will afford him the opportunity to improve on the performance of the previous college in order to strengthen the court’s role in the delivery of justice and deepen its enviable jurisprudence which has made it a global brand, particularly in the areas of human rights that has become its signature mandate.
He welcomed the two new judges to the Court’s family and expressed confidence that with their pedigree, they would contribute immensely to furthering the work of the Court and assured them of the Court’s determination to provide the necessary tools to ensure that they functioned optimally.
Justice Asante also praised the outgoing judges of the Court- Justices Keikura Bangura from Sierra Leone and Januaria Tavares Silva Moreira Costa from Cape Verde- who just completed their tenure and assured them that they will continue to be a valuable resource for the Court.
The new judges, who were appointed for a four –year term, were later taken through some administrative issues related to their tenure as statutory appointees of the Community.
They were later introduced to the staff during a meeting attended by the new college of judges and their outgoing colleagues.
Among the three judges whose tenure was renewed by the Heads of State and Government of the Community, was Justice Dupe Atoki from Nigeria.
Source: GNA