President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to help purge the judiciary of perceived corruption.
The President said the perception of corruption in the judiciary as contained in multiple surveys was worrying and could dampen confidence in the arm of government.
"Several surveys asking the public for their opinion on the judiciary have not been positive. It is our duty to work together to ensure we have a judiciary that is respected," the President said.
He made this call when the leadership of the GBA called on him at the Presidency in Accra on Wednesday.
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In the view of President Mahama, the need for integrity, accountability, and transparency in the judiciary was critical to ensure that justice was fairly administered.
Corruption, he said, was the bane of the country's development and the government would "crack the whip" on persons who would be caught by the law.
To this end, the President urged collaboration between the Attorney-General's Department and the GBA to explore the possibility of establishing specialised fast-track courts to deal with cases of public fund misappropriation.
He said it was worrying the delays associated with such cases due to the exploration of legal procedures by persons accused of misappropriating public funds; a situation which weakens deterrence.
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"Year in, year out, you hear GH¢ 12 billion misappropriated, GH¢ 15 billion misappropriated, and how we deal with these cases is very difficult because of the constitutional procedures.
"We must have a fast-track court where we are able to deal with this so that we deter people from just misusing government funds like that," President Mahama stated.
The President revealed that he had since directed the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to explore the most efficient legal framework for such courts and urged the GBA to play an active role in shaping the initiative.
In the view of the President, "if we can stop the leakage of GH¢ 12 billion a year, we should be able to finish all your courthouses across the regions and districts".
He entreated the Association to feel free and critique his government where need be, stressing that accountability was essential for national development.
"Like we say in our local parlance, 'if a person is charting a path, he may not know that it is crooked'. It is only onlookers who can be able to point it out to him. So, we will appreciate whatever feedback you give, and I believe that is how government should be," President Mahama stated.
He dismissed claims of a rift between his administration and the judiciary stating that "we're not people who have any such animosity towards the judiciary and the legal fraternity. So our doors are open".
