Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has told Ghana’s Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe Bonnie, that Ghana needs more speedy trials.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, in his post, backed the decision by the Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe Bonnie, to allow some criminal trials to proceed during the legal vacation.
According to Manasseh Azure, if he had his way, corruption trials would take place on weekends and on Christmas Day.
In a post shared on his Facebook page on August 6, 2026, Manasseh Azure stated, “I have witnessed criminal and civil trials in the courts of Ghana. I have witnessed the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion our judges endure. I support legal vacation for the simple but crucial fact that the judges need some rest.
I also support the arrangement that allows some courts to sit during legal vacations, especially in corruption cases. If I had my way, corruption trials would take place on weekends and on Christmas Day.
We cannot and must not normalise looting with impunity, especially when the actors know that their lawyers can play delay games until their party comes into office to free them. These tricks aren’t new.
If I were a lawyer in a case and knew my client was innocent, my client and I would be happy for a speedy trial to clear my client.
If the criminal birds of our ruling class have learnt to fly without perching, the hunters of justice must devise ways to shoot those in flight without missing.
Dear Chief Justice, we need more speedy trials”.
However, Lawyers representing Abdul-Hanan Wahab and former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene, Godfred Dame and Atta Akyea, have filed a separate petition to the Chief Justice, protesting the decision to allow their criminal trials to proceed during the judicial legal vacation.
Former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame for Abdul-Hanan Wahab and Samuel Atta Akyea for Kwabena Adu-Boahene are the two legal teams that contend that commencing the trials during the vacation is inconsistent.
According to the two legal teams, the trial of criminal cases involving NPP people during the vacation is unprecedented and discriminatory.
The two legal teams’ objection follows a ruling by Justice Francis Achibonga, who adjourned the separate cases to August 11 and 12 after receiving authorisation from the Chief Justice to sit during the vacation period.
On August 5, in their respective letters, the two lawyers boldly informed the Chief Justice that they would not participate in proceedings scheduled during the legal vacation.
Godfred Dame, in a letter on behalf of Abdul-Hanan Wahab, said the trial judge informed the parties at the previous sitting that he had received authorisation to hear the case during the vacation and advised them that any concerns should be directed to the Chief Justice.
Dame argued that vacation courts have historically been reserved for hearing motions, highlighting that even in civil proceedings, substantive trials are generally not conducted during the vacation unless all parties agree.
The former Attorney General, therefore, describes the authorisation for Justice Achibonga to hear the criminal case without the consent of the parties as irregular and unsupported by law.
The defence lawyers also say the decision undermines their clients’ constitutional right to legal representation of their choice, arguing that members of their legal teams had already made long-standing professional and personal commitments during the judicial legal vacation.
Similarly, Samuel Atta Akyea, acting for Kwabena Adu-Boahene, raised objections to the vacation hearing, arguing that no exceptional circumstances warranted the matter being heard during the judicial recess.
Atta Akyea, in his petition, argued that requiring counsel to appear during the vacation disrupts planned engagements and effectively extends the legal year for the defence team while other practitioners are on recess.
He highlighted that his firm had worked throughout the legal year, from October 2025 to July 2026, representing clients across the country.
The two lawyers further caution that selecting only a limited number of criminal cases for hearing during the vacation could create a view of unfair treatment within the justice system.
Godfred Dame argued that choosing a handful of cases from the numerous criminal matters pending before the courts in the Greater Accra Region is without precedent and risks fuelling allegations of unfair or discriminatory treatment.
The two lawyers are therefore urging the Chief Justice to review and withdraw the directive permitting the cases to be heard during the legal vacation.
See the post below:
@ghnow_ The moment the national Chief Imam departed the National Mosque #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ “We cannot sit in Accra alone to shape policies for all Ghanaians.” — Osman Abdulai Ayariga, CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA). #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
