Members of the
Wa High Court jury in the Upper West have declared an indefinite strike over
their unpaid sitting and attendance allowances.
The group, at a
media encounter in Wa to announce their decision complained that they have been
working for close to two years without pay, adding that several appeals to the
government to release the allowances went unsuccessful.
According to
Jury members of the Wa High Court, they started unfolding their intention of
today’s strike action last Monday when they boycotted criminal proceedings at
the Wa High Court, anticipating that the government would have addressed their
concerns.
Three days after
the boycott, the group, numbering about 25, this morning massed up at the
forecourt of the Wa High Court where they declared an indefinite strike action
in protest of the non-payment of their 21 months allowances.
A jury is a
group of ordinary citizens, typically 7 in number, who are selected to
determine the facts of a case and deliver a verdict based on the evidence
presented during a trial.
The role of the
jury is a critical aspect of justice delivery in Ghana’s legal systems,
particularly in criminal cases where they play the role of impartial
fact-finders, community representatives, and determinants of guilt or
innocence, as we as safeguarding against the potential abuse of power by the
government.
Lawyers and
accused persons who came to the Wa court this morning to defend their cases
were disappointed when the court had to make adjournments due to the absence of
the Jury.
A principal
state attorney at the Upper West office of the Attorney General Department,
Saeed Abdul Shakur, says the strike action will have dire consequences on
justice delivery in the region and appealed to the government to address the
concerns of the jury.
SOURCE: CITINEWSROOM
0 comments:
Post a Comment