Source: Myjoyonline.com
A recent report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has revealed a significant decline of about 30% in the perceived impartiality of Ghana’s judiciary between 2017 and 2023.
The report’s indicator measures judicial impartiality based on factors such as the independence of the courts, the autonomy of judges, and judicial appointments.
In 2014, Ghanaians’ confidence in the judiciary’s impartiality was rated at 95.3 points.
However, the study finds that this has dropped to 68.3 points by 2023—a 27-point decline over the decade.
Examining the trend, the Akufo-Addo administration inherited a score of 94.1 points in 2017, which briefly rose to 97 points but then declined sharply to 75 points in 2018, continuing a downward trajectory to 68.3 in 2023.
The report also indicates that public confidence in the judiciary’s adherence to due and fair process has eroded, with this score falling from 66.6 in 2014 to 45.7 in 2023.
This sub-indicator evaluates the extent to which due legal process and the rights of the accused are upheld, based on criteria such as “the presumption of innocence; the conditions and duration of arrests and pre-trial detention; the extent to which suspects are subject to torture and abusive treatment; the access to legal assistance; and the rights of prisoners.”
These findings come amidst growing public concern that the judiciary may be acting as a mouthpiece for the executive branch.
This perception has led some Ghanaians to refer to the judiciary with labels like “Unanimous FC” and “We-Know-The-Outcome (WeKTO Centre),” since the view that the apex court’s decisions have become overly predictable.
