North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has accused Chief Justice nominee Sophia Akuffo of being “cagey and evasive” in some of her responses when she appeared before the Appointments Committee on Friday, June 16.
Mr Ablakwa, a member of the committee, indicated after the vetting in an interview with journalists that even though he did not support the action of the Montie 3 who were each given a four-month sentence for threatening to kill judges as well as scandalising and bringing the name of the bench into disrepute, he felt a similar punishment could have been handed the Delta 8 who attacked a Kumasi Court to free their colleagues standing trial for attacking the regional security coordinator for Ashanti.
For him, he felt it was an opportunity for Justice Akuffo to clear doubts in the minds of the public that the judiciary would act in the same manner to sanction the Delta 8, but it was not to be.
“It was a political matter and you don’t want the impression created that when it was about Montie Three, which probably was from some political section, you see a more active judiciary but when it is about Delta 8 which involves people from a different political party we don’t see the same level of activism and interest that the judiciary showed,” he lamented.
Aside from that the MP believed Justice Akuffo performed well at the vetting.
He said the committee was impressed with “her stamina for someone of her age and also proved that her mental faculty is very sharp”.
He also pointed out that she showed that “she will be very circumspect to eschew biases and we are quite pleased with that”.
Mr Ablakwa was hopeful she would improve justice delivery and independence of the judiciary should she be approved by the committee for the position.
He called on government to consider funds allocated to the judiciary in order not to stifle its operations.
He however urged the judiciary to consider funding options from NGOs, non-state actors, donor partners, and other sources to complement what is provided by government to meet the needs of the judiciary.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
