Ghana’s Chief Justice: Urgent cases will be heard during court vacation
Ghana’s Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie stated that the court vacation does not halt the consideration of cases: courts designated for this period continue to hear urgent applications. He said this during a visit to the Mineral Income Investment Fund in Accra, MyJoyOnline reports.
The court vacation in Ghana lasts from August 1 to September 30. It provides a break for judges, lawyers and court system staff, but designated courts sit during the vacation to consider urgent matters.
Consideration of urgent applications
According to Baffoe-Bonnie, the matters considered during this period will include, in particular, applications for injunctions and habeas corpus applications. He explained that a judge who is not on leave will consider emergency cases coming from a court where the judge is temporarily absent.
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The Chief Justice advised lawyers whose hearings are scheduled during the vacation period and for whom the date is inconvenient to apply to the court for an adjournment. He stressed that the decision to postpone a hearing is made by the judge, not the Chief Justice.
Rule updates and specialized courts
Baffoe-Bonnie also said that the judiciary is reviewing procedural rules to eliminate technical procedural issues that contribute to delays in case consideration. According to him, a committee has completely revised the rules of procedure, and their adoption is expected by the end of the year.
In addition, the Chief Justice announced the creation of specialized courts to hear certain categories of cases and accelerate the administration of justice. Fund Board Chairman Richard Kwame Asante welcomed the creation of such courts, including for the timely consideration of cases related to illegal mining.
