SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE LADY CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, JUSTICE GERTRUDE SACKEY TORKORNOO AS A SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR ON THE NATIONAL LOTTERY AUTHORITY’S FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS NIGHT HELD AT NLA’S HEAD OFFICE, ACCRA ON 29TH DEC
Source: judicial_service_of_ghana
Date: 2024-01-03

SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE LADY CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, JUSTICE GERTRUDE SACKEY TORKORNOO AS A SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR ON THE NATIONAL LOTTERY AUTHORITY’S FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS NIGHT HELD AT NLA’S HEAD OFFICE, ACCRA ON 29 TH DECEMBER, 2023 AT 4:30PM Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs – Hon. Shirley Bortchwey The Board Chairman, His Eminence Torgbui Francis Nyonyo The Board of Directors of NLA The Director General of NLA, Mr. Samuel Awuku The Deputy Director General of NLA, Ms. Anna Horma Miezah Management and Staff of NLA Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen Thank you for having me as your Special Guest of Honour. I am glad I could join you. The true spirit of Christmas is exuded when we come together with thanksgiving and gratitude, as in this Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols? I commend the National Lottery Authority (NLA) for ending the year on this high note. My presence here tonight comes as an affirmation of and also lends credence to the longstanding relationship between the Judiciary and National Lottery Authority. It reveals the steadfast commitment of the Judiciary to support and uphold the integrity of the games of this institution. This is evident in the Judiciary’s representation on the Authority’s Draw Committee, ensuring that every draw is conducted with the highest sense of transparency, accuracy and integrity. This is what validates the actual public stakes. While all of this is being done, the brazen disregard for the laws by illegal lottery operators whose activities result in the loss of huge sums of money at the expense of the Authority and the government is not lost on the courts. The Director General, Mr. Samuel Awuku, has brought this menace to my attention, and we are working on certain specific to address this menace. Among these measures is the application of stringent punitive terms initiatives to serve as a deterrent for perpetrators of illegal lottery operations. The Judicial Training Institute has also designed training to increase case management skills for speedy attention to cases pertaining to lottery-related offences. While I commend you for attaining Level 2 Certification in Responsible Gaming this year, I urge you to exercise your role more diligently as a regulator to safeguard our children’s future and ensure strict compliance with the laws governing the eligibility of players. I would like to share the poem on the loss of a horse shoe nail which led to the loss of a kingdom. This poem shows that no matter how small or seemingly insignificant one’s contribution to a larger objective is, lack of diligence and recklessness about losses can tip over the safety of the whole group. So I encourage illegal lottery operators to stop thinking only about themselves, and to remember the nation, and its needs. Thank you again for having me at tonight’s event. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year ahead. Prev Next