Godfred Yeboah Dame, Ghana’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has raised worry over the length of high-profile criminal prosecutions.
Dame asked the court to improve their processes and prevent any unnecessary delays or inefficiencies that contribute to the protracted duration of these cases in an address at the annual conference of magistrates and justices.
“A robust legal system underpinned by the rule of law goes hand in hand with economic prosperity and bolsters the confidence of the people to deter the perpetration of wrongdoing,” Dame said, adding, “A court system in which summary trials of criminal cases can last for more than five years militates against the right to a fair trial, defeats the right to justice and must be looked at again.”
Dame emphasised the stark difference between the time it takes to complete high-profile criminal cases and those involving ordinary persons.
He voiced his disappointment that cases involving willfully inflicting financial harm to the state and money laundering can languish for years, yet similar instances involving regular individuals are settled within six months to a year.
“It is unjust and unfair for so-called high-profile criminal cases involving the offences of fraud and money laundering and willfully causing financial loss to the state to drag on for years while similar cases filed against perceived ordinary members of society are concluded within six months to one year,” he said.
