Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called on President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to the recently passed Tribunals Bill, insisting that Ghana’s judicial challenges should be addressed by strengthening the existing court system rather than reintroducing public tribunals.
Speaking in a national address on Sunday, July 19, Bawumia argued that while Ghana’s courts are burdened by delays and mounting case backlogs, creating an alternative justice system is not the solution.
He urged President Mahama to reflect on Ghana’s history with public tribunals before signing the bill into law.
According to Bawumia, reforms should focus on increasing the number of judges, expanding courtroom infrastructure and accelerating the digitalisation of court processes to improve access to justice and speed up the resolution of cases.
He warned that establishing a parallel system of justice could raise public concerns, particularly because the proposed legislation allows tribunal panels to include individuals who are not legally trained to adjudicate criminal cases.
“Reflect on the historical antecedents of the public tribunals system. Under this bill, panels that include persons who are not lawyers may sit in judgement over criminal matters. Ghanaians remember tribunals and we remember what was done in their names,” he said.
“Our courts are congested but the answer to congested courts is to strengthen the courts, more judges, more courtrooms and digitised processes. It is not to build a second system of justice,” Bawumia added.
Parliament passed the Tribunals Bill last week after its third reading. The legislation now awaits presidential assent before it can become law.
