Is Justice Colour-Conscious?
By A Correspondent
I do not think he has any knowledge of the history of the Ghana Judiciary which has had such eminent judges as Sir Henry Coussey, who was President of the West African Court of Appeal when appeals lay to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council; Sir Arku Korsah, the first Ghanaian Chief Justice after Ghana gained Independence from Britain, Sir Samuel Quarshie Idun who was a Chief Justice of East Africa and Western Nigeria, Vanlare Acolatse and Akuffo-Addo who became President of Ghana in 1969 - and many English judges before them dating from 1844.
As has happened in most of the territories to which Britain gave Independence, the designated body of law in Ghana which has been subjected to amendments from time to time in Britain, and that including the Criminal Law and Procedure which has become the local law. This is what Lord Tony Gifford QC, by a letter to the Guardian of August 28, 1983 was recommend ing to be changed and in a scathing attack on the Judiciary stated that the Tribunals set up by Rawlings - Tsikata "was part of the new system which the new government has set up to improve the quality of justice in Ghana. The existing courts had become widely discredited for failing to deal with the appalling corruption and fraudulent practice which had become notorious"
It is known as a fact, that since Ghana attained Independence in 1957, all cases of corruption put before the conventional courts have been dealt with and justice done. Perhaps it might be appropriate for Lady Kate Gifford as Secretary to "Books for Development", to include a set of the Ghana Law Reports to improve and enlighten the knowledge of Lord Tony Gifford. Also he should visit the Library of his Inns of Court to thumb through the Privy Council Reports to see the quality of the judgements that have emanated from West Africa and on which there is present day improvement.
The Lord Gifford QC must be a fraud or naive, for only people with this description can be blind and fall for the Rawling-Tsikata rhetoric, who blaming years of corruption seized power with Libya backing on 31st December and in similar exercise in political subjugation very familiar in communist systems have set out to introduce through Committees a system alien to the Ghanaian and masquerading them as instruments of people's democracy, but reserving the power to themselves to rule, to pass sentence and execute, to abduct and murder.
I do not think the Lord Gifford QC ever got conversant with the facts and evidence in the trial of the murder of the judges. How could Amartey Kwei who had pleaded not guilty before the People's Tribunal be found guilty without the evidence of Lance Corporal Amedika who, at the time of his trial, had escaped from custody. What will the Lord Gifford say if it turns out one day that L/C Amedika tells the world that Amartey Kwei only asked him to have the judges arrested but someone else more powerful, Kojo Tsikata who had been implic ated by Amartey during the SIB report ordered him to see to the murdering of the judges and retired Army Officer.
I am quite sure if Lord Gifford were to introduce the Rawlings-Tsikata system of People's Tribunal in Parliament, he would only hear cries of 'shame, shame' ringing in his ears for the rest of his life.
The Chief Justice of Ghana and such fine Judges as Mrs. Anne Jiagge are muzzled, but as a class they have been libelled. If they dare to take action against the Lord, their bodies will be found elsewhere or their courts will be taken over by W.D.C's; and so for decency sake, the Lord Gifford, you had better apologise to them.