{"id":318479,"date":"2017-05-12T13:18:45","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T13:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=318479"},"modified":"2017-05-12T13:18:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12T13:18:45","slug":"sophia-akuffo-is-ghanas-new-chief-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/05\/sophia-akuffo-is-ghanas-new-chief-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophia Akuffo is Ghana’s new Chief Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has finally picked Justice Sophia Akuffo to serve as the country’s new Chief Justice.<\/p>\n
He made the announcement today [Friday, May 12], at the Flagstaff House, after which her name will be presented to Parliament for approval.<\/p>\n
Ms. Akuffo, if approved by the legislative body, will take over from\u00a0Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, who retires on June 8, 2017. She will also be the second woman to serve in that position.<\/p>\n
In making the announcement, the President noted that, he has known the new CJ for nearly forty years, and trusts in her ability and integrity to deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have known Justice Sophia Akuffo well for over forty forty years. Indeed, she was my first junior in practice, as barristers call their work. She impresses me considerably with her hard work, her capacity for detailed research, her independence of mind and spirit, her honesty and integrity, her deep-seated respect for rule of law and her abiding belief in the sovereignty of the Almighty God. I believe these are the qualities which sustained her brilliant career as a lawyer that propelled her to the notice of the first President of the Fourth Republic, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings who appointed her to the Supreme Court on 30th November 1995; some 22 years ago. She has been one of the leading lights of the court since her appointment, and her contribution to the court\u2019s work and the growth of our nation\u2019s jurisprudence has been extensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President added that \u201cShe has enriched her judicial experience by serving with credit on continental judicial bodies, such as the African Court on Human and People\u2019s Rights, where she ended up as President of the Court. I have no doubt, that Justice Akuffo will be a worthy successor to Chief Justice Wood, and uphold jealously the independence of the judiciary. I expect discipline, fairness, integrity and the continuing modernization of judicial activities to be the hallmark of her tenure if she\u2019s so endorsed by the constitutional bodies.”<\/p>\n