President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Asante has been re-elected by his peers for an initial two years following an election by the Court’s five-member college of judges.
The President of the ECOWAS Court was re-elected on Oct. 13 alongside the Vice President of the Court, Justice Gberi be-Ouattara, the Communications Directorate of the Court disclosed in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
The re-election followed the assumption of duty of the two new judges of the Court; Justices Claudio Monteiro Goncalves from Cape Verde and Sengu Mohammed Koroma from Sierra Leone.
It stated that the two new Justices of the court were sworn in on Oct. 6 in Bissau by the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Community, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau.
Justice Asante, who was among three judges of the court whose tenures were extended by the Heads of State and Government of the Community, said his re-election showed the confidence his colleagues reposed in him.
Asante said that the re-election will afford him the opportunity to improve on the performance of the previous college in order to strengthen the court’s role in the delivery of justice.
He also pledged to deepen the court’s enviable jurisprudence which has made it a global brand, particularly in the area of human rights which has become its signature mandate.
He welcomed the two new judges to the Court’s family and expressed confidence that with their pedigree, they would contribute immensely to furthering the work of the Court.
Asante assured the new judges of the Court’s determination to provide the necessary tools to ensure that they functioned optimally.
Justice Asante also commended the outgoing judges of the Court- Justices Keikura Bangura from Sierra Leone and Januaria Tavares Silva Moreira Costa from Cape Verde, who just completed their tenure.
He assured them that they will continue to be a valuable resource for the Court.
The new judges, who were appointed for a four–year term, were later taken through some administrative issues related to their tenure as statutory appointees of the Community.
They were later introduced to the staff during a meeting attended by the new college of judges and their outgoing colleagues.
Among the three judges whose tenure was renewed by the Heads of State and Government of the Community, was Justice Dupe Atoki from Nigeria. (NAN)