President of the Association of Magistrates and Judges (AMJ), Justice Henry A. Kwofie, has expressed concern over the persistent delays in the payment of medical, fuel, and transfer grants to magistrates and judges, describing it as a barrier to efficient justice delivery.
He noted that the situation regarding delayed allowances and benefits for judges and magistrates has deteriorated significantly, going from bad to worse.
Mr Justice Kwofie, a Court of Appeal judge, said these at the ongoing AMJ annual conference held in Accra yesterday on the theme “A Financially Independent and Accountable Judiciary; The Key to Effective Justice Delivery.”
He said although the issue of delayed payment of allowances to magistrates and judges was discussed at the conference in 2023, the concern had not been addressed.
“The question we need to ask is whether having regard to the concerns and dissatisfaction expressed last year, there has been no improvement in the situation.
Needless to say, and I say this with some sadness, the situation has not only improved but has gone from bad to worse. Almost all allowances with the exception of quinquennial leave allowance are way behind schedule.”
He noted that although the year is now in its final quarter, fuel allowances for the second quarter remain unpaid, making it impossible to discuss the third and fourth quarter’s allowances.
The AMJ president expressed concern over judges having to cover the costs of servicing and maintaining their official vehicles out of pocket, only to face lengthy delays—sometimes up to a year—before being reimbursed.
Addressing the issue of security, Justice Kwofie highlighted the risks judges and magistrates face due to inadequate security measures at the courts.
“As for the security of judges and magistrates, especially in our courts, it is virtually non-existent. Ghana is probably the only country in Africa where anybody can enter any courtroom, including even the Supreme Court without going through a security check. “
He said in countries like Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, there was no way anybody can enter the court premises without having gone through appropriate security.
But in Ghana, the president of AMJ said the security of the courts had been taken for granted.
Unlike other public servants who could demonstrate, sometimes in the most uncompromising ways, to press home their demands, judges and magistrates could only complain about it.
“These issues relating to the welfare and security of judges cannot be taken for granted, unfortunately, unlike other public servants, who go on the street and shout from the rooftops and worse still withdraw their services. We can only complain and talk about it but we ask that these complaints need to be taken seriously,” he said.
