Fact Check: Chief Justice’s warrant does not limit vacation judge to emergency cases
A warrant issued by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie authorising a judge to sit during the 2026 legal vacation does not restrict the judge to emergency applications or interlocutory matters. The document, addressed to Justice Francis Apongabuno Achibonga and cited by JoyNews, authorises him to sit as an additional High Court judge at the Specialised Court ‘1’ […]
Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has issued a warrant allowing Justice Francis Apongabuno Achibonga to sit as an additional High Court judge at the Specialised Court '1' at the Law Court Complex in Accra during the 2026 legal vacation. However, the warrant does not limit the judge to handling only emergency cases or interlocutory matters.
The document explicitly states that the judge is authorised to "conduct hearings" at the designated court during the legal vacation, without specifying any particular cases that the judge is required to hear. This clarification comes amid claims by private legal practitioner Samuel Atta Akyea, who argues that vacation judges traditionally deal with urgent matters rather than substantive trials, and questions why some cases are proceeding during the vacation.
Written by urgent.news from Adom Online's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
