Dismissed Circuit Court Judge, Justice Isaac B. Akwantey has claimed that Ghana’s judiciary lacks a transparent process for the promotion of Judges especially those of the lower courts.
According to him, there is no defined set of criteria for judges who are due for promotion as is the case in other state institutions including the security services.
Speaking in a no holds barred interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.3 FM, Justice I.B Akwantey bemoaned the current process of promoting Judges describing it as not transparent and unfair.
He noted that the process is so questionable such that several judges get to hear about promotion examination only after the exams are long been conducted.
“There are no criteria with respect to promotion in the Judiciary. You don’t even hear about any promotion exams ahead of it taking placea. In several state institutions including the security services, when people in a particular year group are due for promotion, they are made to sit for examination, they do interviews later and add other considerations and then they select those they want. But this is not the case in the Judiciary. If you are not invited you can’t sit for the examination for any promotion”.
He added: “Even if you are not called to sit the exams, at least they can send a circular around informing all judges that a set of judges have been promoted effected a particular date. If you are not lucky to read about such promotions later in the newspapers, you’ll never know that some judges have been elevated”.
I.B Akwantey further stated that he and five other judges who are the senior most among the 54 circuit court judges across the country have had their promotion unduly delayed.
“We don’t understand why our juniors have been promoted over us; this is so unfair and unjustified. I insist there is no criteria for promotion of judges and the process not the least transparent.
