A Supreme Court – Justice nominee, Justice Philip Bright Mensah has called for specialized Chinese language training for judges operating in illegal mining (galamsey) hotspots, citing language barriers as a major hurdle in prosecuting foreign offenders, particularly Chinese nationals.
During his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Justice Mensah highlighted the persistent communication challenges that hinder court proceedings when foreign nationals are brought before the law.
“When these Chinese individuals are arrested and brought to court, many either can’t or won’t speak English,” he said.
“This creates a major obstacle, especially since most law enforcement officers and court officials cannot communicate in Chinese either.”
He added that poor interpretation services in court often worsen the problem, allowing culprits to evade justice. “Even interpreters can be unreliable. But if a judge understands Chinese, it enhances the entire judicial process and strengthens efforts to combat galamsey.”
To address this, Justice Mensah proposed two solutions: sending judges to China for immersive language training or equipping the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) in Ghana with the resources to offer Chinese language instruction locally.
“If someone commits a crime and you can’t prosecute because of language issues, it’s almost like letting them go free,” he warned.
