Mills swears in new Appeal Court judges

Accra (Greater Accra), 20th April ?99 ?

Vice-President John Atta Mills on Tuesday swore into office 11 newly appointed justices of the Court of Appeal and tasked them to speed up work on the long list of cases before the court.

They are Mr Justice Nasiru Sulemana Gbedegbe, Mrs Justice Sophia Ophilia Adjeibea Adinyira, Mr Justice Stephen Twerefour Farkye, Mr Justice Benjamin Teiko Aryeetey, Mr Justice Julius Ansah and Miss Justice Rose Constance Owusu. The rest are Mr Justice Kwadwo Omari-Sasu, Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo, Mr Justice Jacob Charles Amonoo-Monney, and Mr Justice Peter Kwabena Owusu-Ansah. Mr Justice Joseph Bawa Akamba did not turn up.

They took the oath of Allegiance and the Judicial Oath after which they were handed their warrants.

Vice-President Mills expressed the hope that the number will help reduce the delay of cases which has become a common phenomenon that the courts are grappling with. He said too many people have complained about these delays and charged the new judges to pay special attention to it.

Mr Justice Issac Kobbina Abban, Chief Justice, said they were appointed because of their hard work and urged them not to betray the trust and confidence of the appointing authorities. Responding, Mr Justice Farkye said: "We shall not let the nation down. We pray that God will assist us to give justice to cases that come before us and meet our people's expectations."