Lawyer and MP for Suame, John Darko, has weighed in on the Attorney General’s Regional Tribunal Bill, 2026, saying the bill is needless and does not meet the reasons being given for its establishment.
The bill, which was laid by the Attorney General and subsequently referred to Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, seeks to ease pressure on the judicial system by clearing its backlog of cases.
But speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, July 9, 2026, the MP for Suame, who also serves as the Minority’s spokesperson on legal and constitutional matters, questioned the government’s decision. He said that if the government truly intended to clear the backlog of cases, other solutions already exist.
“This is a government that says it is operating a 24-hour economy. We have courts that don’t only sit during the day, and then we have evening courts in this country,” he said.
He argued that if the reason for establishing the tribunal is valid, then government could simply make use of the evening courts.
“In this country right now, we are told that some courts sit in the evening. And so, really and truly, if the intention of this government if the intention of this bill is to clear the backlog of cases, why are we not using the evening courts?” he quizzed.
He also suggested other areas the government could explore to solve the problem, noting that artificial intelligence is available and capable of helping.
“We can use the technology we are all talking about. AI is here have we tried to use it to fast-track cases in our courts? Why is it that for us, the only thing we think about is brick and mortar? Why?” he added.
He urged government to move away from the bill if clearing the case backlog is truly its only motivation, saying, “There is more to this bill than meets the eye.”
Source: Desmond Adom/wontumionline.com