AG calls for live telecast of court cases of national importance

AG calls for punishment of lawyers who scandalise the court

AG proposed live broadcast of cases of national interest

Amaliba accuses AG of being dangerous to justice delivery

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, is calling for live telecast of all court cases of national importance apart from election petitions.

This call from the AG is to assist in curbing what he describes as unacceptable practices in the legal fraternity.

He noted that the move will also enable the citizenry to decipher the arguments presented by legal practitioners and why adjudicators make certain judgments.

Dame, speaking at the opening of this year’s Bench, Bar and Faculty Conference on Thursday, indicated that some lawyers, after court rulings, disseminate falsehoods about the judiciary on social media.

Citing the two most popular cases, Re Akoto and 7 others, Tuffour v Attorney-General, Dame explained that even though some lawyers were quick to jump on social media to “propagate what sometimes, is falsely portrayed as academic critique, they do not engage in a real scholarly examination of judgments of the Superior Courts.

“Reflecting on these unhealthy developments I have spoken about, My Lord Chief Justice, sometimes I really think the way to go is to permit more broadcasts of cases of immense national importance and not the election petition alone.

“When this is done, the poverty of legal reasoning behind certain cases dismissed by the Supreme Court and in respect of which the state emerges, the victor will be exposed for all to see,” he said.

Godfred Dame further advised lawyers who peddle falsehoods to desist from the act.

“Spread of false information by lawyers, disregard for the cherished values of the legal profession and the promotion of instability and violence, apart from being disreputable, poses a far greater threat to cohesion in society if it comes from lawyers.

“Such conduct should result in promptly inflicted sanctions on the lawyers in question,” he stressed.