Legal vacation : We still have relics of colonialism in our judicial service - Gyampo

Ghana's judiciary, according to Professor Ransford Gyampo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, is still functioning as if the country were under colonial rule. Gyampo expressed his concern over court proceedings being typed by typists, questioning why Ghanaian courts continue to take lengthy vacations when the need for swift justice is paramount.

He made these remarks on TV3 on August 15, 2026, in relation to the legal vacation directive issued by the Chief Justice and a legal action filed against him by Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. Oppong Nkrumah filed a suit at the Supreme Court on August 14, 2026, challenging the constitutionality of the administrative warrants issued by the Chief Justice directing certain High Court judges to handle criminal trials during the legal vacation.

The Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, and the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, are among the defendants in the case. Oppong Nkrumah seeks declarations that the administrative warrants issued by the Chief Justice are unconstitutional and invalid. He argues that the Chief Justice's actions regarding the "special criminal cases" during the legal vacation constitute selective justice, which violates Article 17(1) of the Constitution 1992.

The statement of case filed by Oppong Nkrumah states that the plaintiff acknowledges the Chief Justice's unique constitutional position as head of the Judiciary but emphasizes that exercising such administrative powers must comply with constitutional principles. He asserts that every constitutional power is subject to the supremacy of the Constitution, which does not recognize absolute or unreviewable discretionary power.

The warrants allegedly prioritize selected criminal cases while leaving other pending cases unaddressed, creating an imbalance in the judicial system.