Godfred Dame, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has declared that significant reforms in the criminal case trial process in Ghana will result from the trial of the 14 accused for the murder of the late Major Maxwell Mahama, which has exposed some serious issues with the criminal justice system.
The A-G claims that some of the reforms have already started and that others will happen soon. Dame stated that in addition to the “Vigilantism Act” being passed, he has brought a new bill to Cabinet for review this week that would amend the nation’s jury trial system.
Other methods of expediting criminal trial hearings in general will also be included in the reforms. They include rules governing the day-to-day trial of cases, video evidence, interlocutory appeals and applications in criminal cases, and the general management of trial proceedings.
When four members of the late soldier’s family visited the Attorney General’s office to express gratitude to the state and the AG’s office for successfully bringing the trial of fourteen (14) people accused of the soldier’s murder to a close, the Attorney General made this revelation.
The meeting was attended by the Chief State Attorney of the Office of the Attorney General, Evelyn Kelson; the Solicitor General, Helen Akpene Ziwu; the Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa; and Colonel Mensah Gordon, who represented the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
