Strengthen existing courts, not create parallel institutions - Kwasi Kwarteng on Tribunals Bill

Lawyer and New Patriotic Party (NPP) member Kwasi Kwarteng has argued that the proposed Tribunals Bill, 2026, is not the solution to the challenges facing Ghana’s justice delivery system.

Kwarteng expressed concern about the role lay persons could play in deciding criminal cases under the proposed tribunal system.

“My concern is the extent of lay persons’ participation in deciding criminal cases. Criminal justice requires an understanding of constitutional rights. We should be careful about how much decision-making power lay persons are given,” he said on Key Points on TV3.

Kwarteng maintained that the country’s focus should be on improving existing courts rather than creating new judicial bodies.

“Creating tribunals will not solve the challenges within our justice delivery system. The solution is to strengthen existing courts, not create parallel institutions,” he said.

He added that public confidence remained the biggest challenge facing the justice system.

“The biggest challenge is the trust and confidence people have about our justice system. Why don’t you strengthen existing courts rather than creating appellate institutions?” he asked.

His comments come as Parliament considers the Tribunals Bill, 2026, which seeks to reintroduce public tribunals with constitutional backing as part of efforts to improve access to justice.

The proposal has also faced opposition from Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who has called for the deletion of Clause 4, arguing that establishing district and regional tribunals would create a parallel justice system despite the existence of functioning courts.