Edward Kwame Wiredu (c. 1936 – 31 January 2008) was the
Chief Justice of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
between 2001 and 2003. 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.
Early life
Edward Wiredu was admitted into
Achimota School but left due to an incident. He became a student at
Accra Academy and later moved to
Adisadel College where he received the Cambridge School Certificate.
[30-11-2002.]
Chief Justice Wiredu for court
''GhanaWeb'', retrieved on:10-08-2009. Wiredu had sixth-form studies in science at the
Kumasi College of Science and Technology but did not graduate.
Career
Wiredu studied law at the Inns of Court School in London. He was called to the British bar in 1960 after graduating from Middle Temple. 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
Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...
although Rawlings himself had pleaded guilty during his trial.
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
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008.
Kufuor's career has been spe ...
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.
He retired as Chief Justice in May 2003 for health reasons.
See also
*
Chief Justice of Ghana
*
Judiciary of Ghana
The Judiciary of Ghana comprises the Superior Courts of Judicature, established under the 1992 Constitution, and the Inferior Courts, established by Parliament. The hierarchy of courts derives largely from British juridical forms. The courts hav ...
*
List of judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana
*
Supreme Court of Ghana
References
1936 births
2008 deaths
Alumni of Adisadel College
20th-century Ghanaian judges
21st-century Ghanaian judges
Alumni of the Accra Academy
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology alumni
Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Ghanaian Anglicans
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