Let’s Ensure Judiciary Is Free Of Executive Manipulations

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) vice presidential aspirant, Mr John Mahama, has called for a collective effort to exempt the judiciary from executive manipulation.

Mr Mahama, who made the call when he signed a book to mark the 100th day of the incarceration of Mr Tsatsu Tsikata in Accra yesterday, said “we need to fight to ensure that we have a judiciary which is fair, and free of executive manipulations”.

The programme was organised by “Free Tsatsu Tsikata Now”, a movement advocating the release of the jailed Mr Tsikata.

He said all law-abiding citizens would continue to put pressure on the government to release Mr Tsikata, stressing that an NDC government would encourage an independent judiciary.

He said the campaign against the incarceration of Mr Tsikata was not only about justice for Mr Tsikata but all those who were victims of manipulation of the judicial process.

He dismissed the assertion that Mr Tsikata had his day in court, adding that the fairness of the judicial process did not necessarily lie in the duration of the trial.

Mr Mahama expressed the hope that Mr Tsikata would be set free when the case was reviewed.

He, however, faulted the judge for being in a haste to give judgement when she had earlier created the impression that she would wait for Mr Tsikata’s counsel.

“I can’t understand why the judge was in a haste to give judgement when the counsel for Mr Tsikata was not around.

Basically if even she would not wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling, she could have waited for the counsel to be present,” he said.

Story by Timothy Gobah