Prime
Judiciary starts search for new Principal Judge
Yorokamu Bamwine, outgoing Principal Judge
Several High Court judges have applied for the position of principal judge which will be vacant at the end of the year.
According to the internal advert released by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), the deadline for receiving applications is on Friday at 5pm.
The position will fall vacant on December 25 when the current office bearer, Dr Yorokamu Bamwine, officially retires when he clocks 65 years.
The principal judge is the administrative head of the High Court. The minimum qualifications for the job, according to the JSC internal advert, include a Bachelor of Laws and a post graduate Diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre (LDC).
The applicant must have served as a High Court judge or a court of similar jurisdiction or practiced as an advocate for not less than 15 years.
The applicants have also been asked to attach at least four samples of judgments (criminal or civil) that they have ever written.
Some of the functions of the principal judge include assisting the Chief Justice to run the High Court and the subordinate courts in accordance with Article 133 of the Constitution and adjudicating matters within unlimited jurisdiction of the High Court.
With the applications still being ongoing, we profile some of the individuals that we deem fit for the position.
The Principal Judge is third in the Judiciary hierarchy after the Chief Justice and deputy Chief Justice. Justice Bamwine’s retirement will pile more pressure on the already understaffed Judiciary.
