Members of the Bench and the Bar, have been urged to uphold the integrity and discipline of their profession so as to ensure a better judicial system for the country.
Reverend Professor Andrews Seth Ayettey, retired Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, delivering a sermon at a special church service for the opening of the 59th Legal Year on Saturday on the theme: “Responsibility And Accountability Towards An Effective Justice Delivery System,” advised them to open themselves to the searchlight of impartial justice to deliver responsible and accountable justice.
Rev Ayettey who is also the Vice President, Academic Affairs at Regent University College of Science and Technology, taking excerpts from Proverbs 31 vs 9 “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy,” urged them not to deliver bias service and to defend the rights of the poor.
Using the example of Jehoshaphat in Luke 18 vs 1-2 a Judge, who neither feared God nor cared about man, he said God is carefully observing the judgement being meted out and admonished them to fear God to judge carefully and consider that whenever they give a verdict they judge for the Lord.
Rev Ayettey said the Legal Year Service is an important ceremony for members of the Bench and the Bar to reflect on the incidents that have happened in the course of justice delivery and rededicate themselves to their beliefs as well as what is right.
He said it was invitation to God to be a stakeholder in the adjudication of justice, declaring that God by His nature would, therefore protect them to do their work with integrity.
He said the bitter lessons of the past legal year including the exposure of judicial corruption calls for a jealously guarded judiciary system that is not corrupted, respected treasured and feared.
“There should be righteous anger in each of us for any form of judicial corruption. It should cause you to resolve to do what is right not because you are being watched but because you know that it is the right thing to do to bless our nation and lay a foundation for generation’s that will follow us.”
He urged them to set good examples for the next generation who would take over the administration of justice to safeguard the nation.
“Your responsibility is to administer justice according to the laws of the land and not perverting the law but interpreting it correctly and without prejudice, your responsibility is to administer justice without fear or favour,” he said.
Rev Ayettey said these are constitutional guarantees to empower and embolden the Judiciary to deliver justice with integrity.
Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief Justice, some justices of the Supreme Court, the Attorney- General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, and some traditional leaders were among the congregation.
Mrs Wood, expressed gratitude to God for guidance and protection during her nine years of service as well as her colleagues for the continuous support.
She urged lawyers and fellow judges to trust the Lord in all their doings.
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