There was no show at the Kumasi High Court as the strike by Kumasi jurors forced the sitting judge to adjourn the case of the police inspector accused of killing his girlfriend.
The jurors suspended their services last week, citing delays in the payment of their allowances.
The judge, Rosemary Baah Tosu on Monday (13 November) adjourned the sitting to 4 December after conferring with state prosecutors and defence counsel.
The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, however, advised the public servants to be diligent in their work: “We need to make sure that we don’t allow it to get even later by not doing what is expected of you at work.”
She also pleaded with the public servants to appreciate the financial burden on Mother Ghana.
“Ghana is paying you and you are not giving Ghana the services it is paying you for. Whichever institution you are working in, Ghana is paying you for being there,” she added.
A representative for the jurors in the Ashanti Region said, “We just met Chief Justice, our mother; she has asked us to return to court on Monday, and we have agreed.
“And as she promised, she said she’s going to make sure that our allowances are paid on time. This is what we were expecting long ago. She has shown that she respects jurors in Kumasi, so for that alone, we are grateful.”
Inspector Ahmed Twumasi has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder after he allegedly shot and killed Victoria Dapaah in April this year.
The latest action by the jurors means that such high-profile cases could suffer delays as the strike begins to bite. Family members of the late Victoria Dapaah, also known as Maadwoa, flocked to the court to observe proceedings. Her uncle, Nana Addo Barima, is appealing to the jurors to return to work in the interest of justice.
“Today, there was no show in court due to the jurors’ strike. We wanted to present our case, but that could not happen today. When we arrived at the court, we learned that the jurors were on strike, so the judge adjourned the proceedings until 4 December.”
“We implore the jurors to return and assist the family. We also ask the government to assist the jurors in obtaining whatever they require so that they can return to court and help those in need,” he stated.
Reporting By Jonathan Ofori in the Ashanti Region
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