Accra, Oct. 4, GNA – Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has urged judicial officers, lawyers and judges to enter the 2026/2027 legal year with faith, purpose and a renewed commitment to strengthening the foundations of justice.
“As we enter this new year, let us, therefore, do so with faith, but also with purpose. Let us lead with integrity, innovate with wisdom, and embrace technology without losing our humanity,” he said.
The Chief Justice’s message was in a brochure issued by the Judiciary to mark the commencement of the 2026/2027 Legal Year Church Service.
The 69th Legal Year is being held under the theme: “Strengthening the Foundations of Justice through Leadership, Innovation and Technology.”
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie acknowledged that there could be disagreements and agreements within the Judiciary, but urged all stakeholders not to lose sight of their common purpose.
“Justice does not belong to the judge. Justice emanates from the people and judicial power is exercised in their name and for their welfare,” he said.
“We are, therefore, custodians, not owners. The court is not ours. The law is not ours…. We hold them for the people of Ghana. May we prove worthy of that trust.”
He urged judicial officers to strengthen rather than weaken the foundations of the institution, stressing that the Judiciary’s strength should not depend on individuals.
“It must reside in the principles, institutions, people and traditions which endure beyond us. That is the foundation we must strengthen and that is the trust we must keep,” the Chief Justice said.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who is due to end his service to the Judiciary this year, expressed gratitude for the support, cooperation and goodwill extended to him during his tenure.
He also charged judicial officers to remain relentless in efforts to reduce delays and improve the speed of justice delivery.
“Speed must never become an enemy of fairness, nor efficiency the enemy of due process. Justice must be delivered in time, but it must also be delivered rightly,” he said.
On technology, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said it had become an indispensable part of the Judiciary’s journey, noting that electronic filing, digital records, virtual proceedings, automated processes and better use of data could reduce delays, improve efficiency, preserve records and make the courts more accessible.
He, however, cautioned the Judiciary against allowing technology to create new forms of exclusion.
“We must not allow digital transformation to create a new class of exclusion. The citizen who lacks digital literacy, the person in an underserved community and vulnerable litigant must not be left standing outside a door that technology was supposed to open,” he said.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie also called for the simplification of court procedures where possible, saying court users should not require legal expertise merely to understand how to seek justice.
“A court user should not have become a lawyer merely to understand how to seek justice. And no person who comes before the Judiciary should leave feeling that the institution to which he turned for protection has forgotten his humanity,” he said.
He called for strengthened case management, wider use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and improved ways of making the courts more responsive to ordinary citizens, particularly vulnerable groups.
The new legal year begins in October, directly following the annual two-month long vacation of the superior courts in August and September.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Joyce Danso
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