68th legal year opens with call on stakeholders to uphold integrity, efficiency in delivery

The 68th Legal Year has officially commenced with a call on judges, lawyers, judicial staff, and stakeholders in the justice sector to uphold accessibility, integrity, and efficiency in Ghana’s justice delivery system.

Speaking at a reception following a church service to mark the opening on Saturday, Acting Chief Justice Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie urged all actors within the legal fraternity to work collaboratively to strengthen the pillars of justice.

“Let this legal year be one in which we not only discharge our duties with excellence, but also with empathy,” he said. “Let us see in every case filed not merely a docket number, but a story, a life, and a person deserving of our best.”

The new Legal Year, which runs from October 6, 2025, to July 31, 2026, is themed “Building the Pillars of Justice through Leadership, Innovation and Technology.” It officially ends the two-month legal vacation and is expected to feature several high-profile cases of national importance.

Among these are constitutional challenges to the impeachment process of former Chief Justice Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, including a case seeking clarification on whether she can retain her position as a Justice of the Supreme Court. The courts are also expected to handle major corruption cases linked to the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, as well as prosecutions involving illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie underscored the pivotal role of innovation and technology in transforming the justice system.

He further emphasized that innovation should go beyond administrative systems to include progressive interpretation of laws.

Delivering the sermon at the service, Rt. Rev. Dr. Sylvanus Mensah Torto, Anglican Archbishop of Accra, urged the judiciary to lead the national fight against illegal mining, describing it as a “fight for justice.”