Edward Kwame Wiredu

Edward Kwame Wiredu (c. 1936 – 31 January 2008) was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 2001 and 2003.[1] He was the tenth since Ghana became an independent nation. He is noted for introducing the Fast Track High Courts in Ghana as well as Alternate Dispute Resolution and the Judicial Institute.

Edward Kwame Wiredu
10th Chief Justice of Ghana
(22nd including Gold Coast)
In office
2001–2003
Appointed byJohn Kufuor
Preceded byIsaac Kobina Abban
Succeeded byGeorge Kingsley Acquah
Personal details
Bornc 1936
Died31 January 2008, aged 73

Early life

Edward Wiredu was educated at the Accra Academy[2] in Accra and the Adisadel College at Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. He then went on to the Kumasi College of Science and Technology, which is now the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) but did not graduate.[3]

Career

Wiredu was called to the British bar in 1960. He went on to serve on the Bench for a total of 34 years after having been in private practice. He was appointed a High Court Judge in 1969. After the abortive coup of 15 May 1979, he was noted to have entered a plea of not guilty for Jerry Rawlings although Rawlings himself had pleaded guilty during his trial.[4] In 1980, he was elevated to be an Appeal Court Judge. He became a Supreme Court Judge in 1990. He was appointed Chief Justice in the Fourth Republic by John Kufuor at the beginning of his presidency on 9 November 2001. He is considered by some to be a strong advocate for the independence of the Judiciary.[5] He retired as Chief Justice in May 2003 for health reasons.[6]

See also

References
  1. "List of Chief Justices". Official Website. Judicial Service of Ghana. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
  2. 30-11-2002. Chief Justice Wiredu for court, www.ghanaweb.com, Retrieved on:10-08-2009.
  3. "Chief Justice lied under Oath ?". ghanaweb.com. 25 August 2002.
  4. "Ex-Chief Justice Wiredu is dead". General News of Friday, 1 February 2008. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  5. Adu-Asare, Yaw (29 March 2006). "CJ Acquah Against Executive Interference in the Judiciary". Feature Article. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 13 April 2007. Chief Justice Wiredu was a fierce and relentless defender of independence of the Judiciary, as a branch of government. He resisted interference from both the Executive and Parliament in the running of the Judicial Service, but in the final analysis, he recognized so often that his domain fell to the power of those who pulled the purse strings in government, so to speak.... In his capacity as head of the Judicial Service, Chief Justice Emmanuel K. Wiredu in early 2002 admonished the ministry of finance about what he described as unconstitutional behavior with respect to the budget allocation for the Service.
  6. "State burial service for Chief Justice Wiredu". General News of Thursday, 27 March 2008. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Isaac Kobina Abban		 Chief Justice of Ghana
2001–2003		 Succeeded by
George Kingsley Acquah


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