The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has urged the Supreme Court to prune cases listed before it and hear only those with merits in open court.
Mr. Dame says “the time has come for the Supreme Court to reduce its caseload by prioritising the kinds of cases it actually hears” while dismissing frivolous applications and cases “in chambers” without the necessity of a hearing in open court. Such cases, the Attorney General notes, constitute the bulk of cases considered by the court annually.
Speaking at the opening of this year’s Bench, Bar, and Faculty Conference in Accra on Thursday, Mr. Dame argued that “only important cases with the potential of resulting in a change of the law or with an immense public interest, should be heard by the Supreme Court.”
He said the rules of the Court should be revised to allow this in order for it to be more efficient and productive.
Touching on lessons learned from the impact of COVID-19 on Justice delivery, the leader of the Ghanaian Bar urged that “temporary innovations put in place, as a result of the pandemic, ought to be made a permanent feature of the justice delivery system.
Thus, he advocated that “virtual hearing of cases should become a regular feature of our court system” to reduce cost, save time and boost efficiency.
