Galamsey cases are delayed by Prosecutors, not Judges – Chief Justice

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has responded to Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame’s recent comments, clarifying that it is the work of prosecutors, not judges, that is causing delays in the handling of illegal mining (galamsey) cases.On Wednesday, October 2, Attorney General Dame called on the Chief Justice to instruct judges presiding over galamsey cases to deliver their rulings within a month of the cases being presented in court.He argued that swift judgments would help mitigate the ongoing destruction of water bodies and forest reserves caused by unregulated mining and unauthorized operations in protected areas.Dame had expressed concern at the Annual Conference of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana, noting that the slow pace of prosecuting galamsey cases is worsening environmental damage to Ghana’s forests and water resources.

However, Chief Justice Torkornoo countered that the delays in these cases are primarily due to prosecutors, not the judiciary.

The Chief Justice stressed that “On the issue of delays in galamsey cases, the AG will acknowledge that engagements have shown that the delays often come from the work of prosecutors.”