The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSSAG) wants the President to consult it before nominating a new Chief Justice, although that is not a constitutional requirement.
The President of JUSSAG Alex Nartey, in an interview on Eyewitness News, said his Association’s input in the matter is not to be taken for granted, given the role of judicial staff in the work of the Chief Justice.
JUSSAG’s appeals come despite the absence of any constitutional precedent requiring that the judicial staff be consulted ahead of the nomination of a Chief Justice.
But according to Mr. Nartey, JUSSAG is one of “the major stakeholders of the judicial service, and in view of the fact that we work with the judges and in view of the fact the work of the Chief Justice is about 90 percent management and administrative, and since the workers are involved in administration and we know what it takes in managing an organization such as the judicial service, we think that our input in settling on who becomes the Chief Justice is very critical and inevitable.”
The JUSSAG President further noted that, their possible involvement in the nomination will not be out of the ordinary because “consultations, since the Chief Justice’s office came into being, have been held anytime the office needs to be filled.”
In the event JUSSAG is left out of the process, Mr. Nartey assured that, his staff would not undermine the work of the new Chief Justice “but it will be a major help to the organisation and the nation as a whole [if JUSSAG is involved].”
The position of Chief Justice is expected to become vacant n June when Ghana’s longest serving Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, retires.
Media speculation suggests that Justice Anin Yeboah, Justice Sophia Akuffo and Justice Jones Dotse are the front-runners for the position.
But Justice Anin Yeboah is essentially out of contention following his election as the Chairman of FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. As a result, Justice Sophia Akuffo is highly tipped for the top job.