Sole Commissioner, Justice Yaw Appau, has told the Appointments Committee of Parliament that he doesn’t believe that a death penalty sentence is the right punishment for a convicted murderer.
According to him, much as the sentence may be seen in a wider sense as fairness, it doesn’t deter people from committing such crime.
He likened the death sentence to Mosaic Law which calls for an eye for an eye and truth for the truth.
“I am against the sentence of a death penalty one as a Christian because it is retributive and it an aspect of the Mosaic Law. It doesn’t deter”, he argued in his submission to a question posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Agotime-Ziope, Juliana Azumah-Mensah.
The MP has sought to find out from Justice Appau who has been nominated to the Supreme Court by President John Mahama whether he is favour of the death penalty sentence or not.
Commenting further, the former High Court Judge said once the Holy Bible speaks against taking the life of a fellow man, there is no pursue such a sentence, noting “vengeance is the Lord’s”.
“For if somebody has killed, why should the state also kill when the Ten Commandments said thou shall not kill?”
So, why do we make laws to kill? The person has killed… now we can put him away from society for some time and leave justice to the Lord for Him to determine the faith of that person but if we also march this person to the sticks and kill him, then we are also going against the Ten Commandments irrespective of our laws”, he posited.
By Stephen Odoi-Larbi/Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
