The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has dismissed a statement by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) that the government has not released subvention to the Judicial Service for about a year now, culminating in the withdrawal of services by some of the courts.
According to a statement issued by the Public Relations Unit of the ministry yesterday, as of June this year, GH¢15,278,014, representing various allowances, had been paid. It gave the breakdown of the amount as: Compensation related allowances, GH¢8,167,531.60, Goods and Services, GH¢6,904,330.30 and assets, GH¢206, 182.40.
Last week, the GBA issued a statement accusing the government of neglecting judges and the Judicial Service. In the statement, the GBA said various allowances due judges had not been paid over a period of one year, thus resulting in the decision of some of the courts to temporarily suspend services.
But the ministry, in the press statement, said “We wish to state that the ministry is not in arrears – for a year now.” The ministry further indicated that strenuous efforts were underway to process the subvention for the second quarter release.
Touching on Internally Generated Funds (IGF) of the Judicial Service, the ministry stated that the government was not responsible for its upward review as being suggested.
“We want to state that the use of 15 per cent of their Internally Generated Funds was approved by Parliament and it is only Parliament that can review such a policy,” it said.
The ministry asked the GBA to, in future, contacts the Judicial Service or the Ministry of Finance before commenting on such a sensitive issue.
