A Supreme Court judge has asked the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to make it mandatory for all lawyers to show evidence of pro-bono cases before their licences are renewed.
Justice Jones Victor Dotse said any country that did not pay attention to remand cases was heading towards disaster and urged lawyers to also take up cases of convicts who needed assistance.
He said there were other convicts who, because of one or to two issues, did not have their cases looked through properly, hence needed lawyers to assist them to take a second look at their cases by way of filing an appeal.
Speaking at the Akuse Local Prison in the Eastern Region during the sittings of the Justice for All Programme (JFAP) Friday, Mr Dotse said security services did not have the right to keep people in custody without trial.
“If you have evidence put the person before court for trial after assembling all your witnesses.”
Mr Justice Dotse noted that keeping people on remand for a long time without trial did not infringed on Ghana’s Constitution alone but acted as an indictment on the country.
“It is also an indictment on the judicial system if we put people on remand without trial for six to seven years,” he said.
He said often than not the Police blamed the Judiciary for releasing people through the JFAP but stated “if you arrest someone you must tell the person his or her offence, assemble witnesses and put him or her before court for trial to commence.”
The Supreme Court judge paid glowing tribute to the Danish Government for supporting the JFAP for the past 10 years.
Tove Degubol, the Ambassador of Denmark, who sat through the JFA Court Sittings, was elated with the positive results of the Programme.
He said there had been a 14 per cent reduction in the over 33 per cent remand cases since the commencement of the JFAP.
She appealed to the government to consider legal changes to ensure that people convicted in minor offences were allowed to engage in community work.
“Those released should also be taken care of so they could properly be integrated into society.”
Source: GNA
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Whats this????
a man so fit to be ghana CHIEF JUSTICE if not for politics. the man JSC Dotse speaks and no doubt there isnt any argument even across the political divides. he is full of wisdom, humility, human centered, concern for ghana and not his pocket or cars, really we must make voting for chief justice in ghana, in humility, i have not court issue though to but wish i will one day meet this man before i or he dies, i really love this man. this is a clear example of justice, he is embodiment of justice, he is too fair no matter what. may God bless you JSC Dotse. is pro bono as he is saying is mandatory in renewing license, i hope every house will have a legal advisor and will one way or the other solve many court cases unnecessary. some issues by common legal advise will not even get to court. even police make so many wasteful cases and eventually dismissed. most ghanaians make it so how do i get ma money but remember is crime reduces and we get legal advises, the energies of broken homes, crime etc will be channeled to business legal backing etc and still lawyers will have their money even in huge amounts. imagaine i have a lawyer advising me on a $10m contract to a lawyer for parents fighting for the paternity of a baby, which one will give more money. US lawyers are making money as business and financial lawyers as well crime lawyers than common and trivial lawyers. let the bar association not be bar as in drinking but be bar as JSC Dotse is advising so we solve many unncessary court cases in Ghana. if i have a lawyer and you too have and am buying a plot of land from you, is a matter of our lawyers getting court documents of transfer or purchase agreement and its all and how can a plot of land be sold to 3, 5 people by the same owner?, JSC Dotse is right. pro bono will make legal cases in ghana and even education on law and order be so brilliant even to the illitrates and there Ghana will get somewhere better. i believe in legal fees but remember taking legal fees to be rich and i not knowing the law, insult you, damage ya credibility and am jailed, the scar on you may remain if not forever a long time and look at the cost in damage control but is i have a lil legal advise, i may not even try. More grace and health to you JSC Dotse