You’re not beyond criticism – former Attorney General to Judges
Madam Betty Mould-Iddrissu, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice has come out to support the stance that judges can be criticized.
The stalwart of the opposition National Democratic Congress in buttressing the point during an interview on TV3 on October 3, 2022, said “ judges are criticized everywhere in the world in the places we took the practice from in the United Kingdom, Canada look at what happened in the Roe vs Wade case where the protesters are out on the streets, not just criticism bashing them on the streets with placards and outright condemnation of them by academics who have signed a petition against them is this not criticism, is anyone denying them the right to criticize no you cannot do that”.
The astute legal brain in reminiscing when she was an academic revealed how they poured out their frustration through writing when they did not agree with a particular judgment.
She also indicated that Ghanaians in any way express such opinions through polls or when they are being interviewed and most polls point out what Former President John Mahama said, that there is a perception that the ordinary Ghanaian has lost confidence in the Judiciary.
Madam Mould-Iddrisu cited Article 125 and said “let me remind them that they are there to administer justice on behalf of the people of Ghana as justice emanates through the people they are only responsible to the constitution when the perception that you are responsible or you are being swayed by another force here lies the problem and that is what we have asked them and former President Mahama asked them to clear up the perception”.
“They should no longer continue this erosion of confidence in the administration of justice. I do not see anything wrong with it and they know there is nothing wrong with it. They drag us to the General Legal Council’s disciplinary committee when we do not go by our ethics of the profession and that is why if judges are criticized in a certain way by lawyers the lawyers are hauled to face the disciplinary committee.”
On how the criticism should come, she said as of now there has not been a protest yet at least as we have been made to understand that the confines of the court are a security zone where you will need tacit approval of authorities before you demonstrate unlike in the other countries but Madam Mould Ilddrissu complained that when such a protest is replicated here some will say it is because they are NDC and coming from a different political persuasion that is sad and must get rid of that perception and touch base with happenings on the ground. It is our right to do so and you can’t deny us our right.
To her, “if you attack the judge’s integrity without evidence then you have a problem and also if we complain to them that there is a perception about them out there they must sit up and listen”.
On what the judiciary can do to clear up the perception, she said, “what other thing can they do than to look at the judgment and discharge it independently when you are truly independent no one will criticize you as you go in accordance with the law”.
