This follows her retirement by close of Thursday, June 8, 2017.

[contextly_sidebar id=”l5SjSaE9YtzYkUfzOqktgFGedXggjech”]Her appointment was announced in Parliament on Thursday by the Speaker, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye.

President Akufo-Addo had earlier sworn-in 24 members of the Council of State, leaving one last seat which per Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, was supposed to be occupied by “one person who has previously held the office of Chief Justice” pursuant to approval of Parliament.

The president’s nomination notice read by the Speaker explained that, as at the time the 24 were being sworn-in, there was no living former Chief Justice.

“I could not make that appointment as there was no living former Chief Justice…From 8^th June 2017, the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Wood, will retire from the bench. She has concerted to be nominated for membership of the Council of State if the consultation with Parliament is successful. I therefore nominated her to fill the last remaining vacant seat on the Council of State.”

The President further urged Parliament to quickly proceed with processes involved with the approval “to enable her [Georgina Wood] take her place on the Council as soon as possible.”

NDC nearly forced me to resign under Mills

Georgina Theodora Wood, earlier revealed how she endured heated calls on her to resign during the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ administration.

Speaking at a thanksgiving Service to celebrate her 70th birthday, at the Ringway Assemblies of God church in Accra, Georgina Wood said for the support and encouragement of Justice Jones Dotse, a Justice of the Supreme Court, she would have resigned.

“…Can you imagine; a full vessel, an array of the men and women who matter at the time with the press in full array asking you to resign,” she said, adding that a message she received on her phone also comforted her hence her decision to carry on.

“Each single one of you added value to my life. You’re the people who gave me hope and helped us to succeed… that is why I don’t forget Justice Dotse. He has stood by me and has received some of the beatings through no fault of his, except he was helping to do God’s work… It will be difficult on my part that as soon as I exit I forget; I will not. I pray that all the good plans he (Dotse) has God helps him to realize,” she added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Georgina Wood, who is retiring today [June 8, 2017] after ten years of service as Chief Justice of Ghana, said members in the late John Evans Atta Mills government constantly pressured her to step down because she was appointed by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5rCoP3J97uzYNuTGZWyh6lF0aFSStIyK”]Speaking at a thanksgiving Service to celebrate her 70^th birthday, at the Ringway Assemblies of God church in Accra, Georgina Wood said for the support and encouragement of Justice Jones Dotse, a Justice of the Supreme Court, she would have resigned.

“…Can you imagine; a full vessel, an array of the men and women who matter at the time with the press in full array asking you to resign,” she said, adding that a message she received on her phone also comforted her hence her decision to carry on.

“Each single one of you added value to my life. You’re the people who gave me hope and helped us to succeed… that is why I don’t forget Justice Dotse. He has stood by me and has received some of the beatings through no fault of his, except he was helping to do God’s work… It will be difficult on my part that as soon as I exit I forget; I will not. I pray that all the good plans he (Dotse) has God helps him to realize,” she added.

Georgina Wood, who was appointed by the Kufuor government in 2007 as Ghana’s first female Chief Justice, came under intense pressure from some officials of the Mills administration to resign.

The pressure hit its peak when bigwigs in the NDC realized that the party was consistently losing major cases in court.

But the late President Mills following a pledge to include a quota of women in his administration, refused to chase Georgina Wood out, but instead defended her at the detriment of his party.

A thanksgiving service was held in the honour of Georgina Wood at the Holy Trinity Cathedral over the weekend for a successful tenure as Ghana’s first female Chief Justice.

The ceremony brought together officials of Ghana’s justice system, the clergy, politicians, family, friends and the general public to draw the curtain down on her 10-year tenure as Chief Justice.

President Akufo-Addo has appointed Sophia Akuffo as Georgina Wood’s successor.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The ceremony brought together officials of Ghana’s justice system, the clergy, politicians, family, friends and the general public to draw the curtain down on her 10-year tenure as Chief Justice.

The service was graced by notables in the judiciary and legislature like the new Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo; Justice Jones Dotse; the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Michael Ocquaye; the Minority Leader, Haruna Idrissu, among others.

After her official retirement on June 8, 2017, Georgina Wood will become a member of the council of state, since the advisory council to the President must also include a former Chief Justice, per Article 89(2)(a)(i) of the Constitution.

Georgina Wood was the first the female Chief Justice of Ghana, and the longest-serving Chief Justice, since her appointment in 2007 by former President Kufuor.

Her appointment made her the most powerful woman in Ghana’s political history for a time, till the appointment of Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo as the first female Speaker of the 5th Parliament of Ghana in January 2009.

Georgina Wood worked with the Ghana Police Service as a deputy superintendent and public prosecutor for three years before joining the Judicial Service as a District Magistrate in 1974.

She rose through the Circuit and High Courts to become the presiding judge of the Appeal Court in 1991, and was then appointed to the Supreme Court on November 12, 2002.

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By: Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“Her career has been extraordinary and I pay warm tribute to her distinguished service to our nation and I wish her a well-earned retirement even though her public service will not be over as a place on the Council of State awaits her,” President Akufo-Addo said.

After her retirement on June 8, 2017, Georgina Wood will become a member of the council of state, since the advisory council to the President must also include a former Chief Justice, per Article 89(2)(a)(i) of the Constitution.

The council, when constituted in February 2017, had no former Chief Justice representative as there was no living former Chief Justice at the time.

Georgina Wood was the first the female Chief Justice of Ghana, and she becomes the longest-serving Chief Justice, since her appointment in 2007.

Her appointment made her the most powerful woman in Ghana’s political history for a time, till the appointment of Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo as the first female Speaker of the 5th Parliament of Ghana in January 2009.

Since taking office, Georgina Wood has sworn-in three persons as President; the late John Evans Atta-Mills, John Dramani Mahama and Nana Akufo-Addo.

Georgina Wood worked with the Ghana Police Service as a deputy superintendent and public prosecutor for three years before joining the Judicial Service as a District Magistrate in 1974.

She rose through the Circuit and High Courts to become the presiding judge of the Appeal Court in 1991 and was then appointed to the Supreme Court on November 12, 2002, an appointment she had earlier declined.

Georgina Wood captured major public attention in 2006 when she chaired the Georgina Wood Committee, which was set up to investigate the disappearance of some 77 parcels of cocaine from the infamous MV Benjamin ship.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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It says the Chief Justice was rather in Egypt to attend a Conference for Chief Justices, Presidents of Supreme Courts and Constitutional Courts and Heads of Judiciaries throughout Africa.

Following the absence of the Chief Justice from Tuesday’s State of the Nation Address, a section of the media speculated that Georgina Theodora Wood was on leave prior to her retirement.

Justice Atuguba was mentioned as the acting Chief Justice during the state of the nation address by President Akufo-Addo.

But a statement issued by the judicial service on the matter, said  the Chief Justice left Ghana on Saturday, February 18, 2017 for the conference, and per the constitution, he [Justice Atuguba], the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court Bench, performs the functions of the Chief Justice.

The statement, signed by the Director of the Communications, Grace Tagoe, said, “As per article 144 (6) (a) and (b) of the 1992 Constitution, in the absence of the Chief Justice, the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court Bench performs the functions of the Chief Justice.”

“The Service is therefore disappointed that media houses which published the misleading story could not cross-check their facts with the Service before publication,” it said.

“The Service wishes to assure general public that any news about that retirement of the Chief Justice when it is due, will be communicated as such,” it added.

The Chief Justice is expected to return to Accra on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

Georgina Theodora Wood, 69, is the first woman to occupy the position of Chief Justice in Ghana.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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According to the Chief Justice, conditions at the courts are so bad that it hampers justice delivery.

Speaking at the inauguration of the refurbished Supreme Court building, Justice Wood appealed to the executive, to help renovate court buildings, and also build new ones across the country.

“Truth is that, most of our court houses do not inspire much confidence as they remain in deplorable conditions. It is true that justice is founded on the integrity, competence and capability of those who administer justice, but the building and physical space from which justice is administered adds to the trust and confidence issues, and so we appeal to central government to make funds available for building new court houses, renovating and refurbishing court houses, and for maintenance purposes in order not to hamper the administration of justice and undermine the fundamental right of access to justice,” she said.

She further gave the assurance that, the judiciary will improve on its work output by upholding integrity and fairness.

“The importance of the third branch of government in the social economic development of Ghana cannot be underestimated. Justice administration is a collective responsibility of all citizens, including the Bar and the public. I speak on behalf of the judiciary. I give this pledge that we will continue to improve on our work and deliver on integrity and fairness,” he stated.

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By: Marian Ansah & Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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