Adjudication of rape, murder and manslaughter cases in the Upper West region have been suspended after members of the Jury there staged a walkout.

The jurors numbering about 25 accuse government of unfair treatment as their allowances have been in arrears since 2021.

JoyNews’ Rafiq Salam in an interview with the spokesperson of the jurors, Abdul Hakeem Suleman, said the delay in the payment of the allowances is taking a toll on the jurors ‘little finances.’

“For two years, the money has been not been paid to us, yet because of our dedication to national duty, we don’t want to be disrespectful to our citizens of Ghana so we oblige and attend court sittings. So it is one of the reasons we say no, we can’t continue to do this and they won’t listen to us. For once, let’s also act so that the authorities can understand that we are also human beings working within the system so what is due us will be given to us,” he said.

He added, “We don’t know whether it is a discriminatory kind of thing or not...why they have decided to pay other regions and left out Upper West region, so we feel undermined.”

The jurors have threatened not to return to the courts until their concerns are addressed.

In light of this, he called on the government to expedite action to release the funds to the judicial service to fulfill their obligations to them.

“If they are able to do that, it will facilitate that speedy trial of some of the criminal cases," he said.

The Administrator of the judicial service in the region says they are working around the clock to ensure the jurors are paid.