Justice Ganaii working her way up

By BOURA GORUKILA
JUSTICE Tracy Ganaii is humbled to serve in the higher courts after she was sworn in last Thursday with five other women and three men as acting judges.
She is grateful for the experience she gained as a prosecutor for 11 years and a district court magistrate for seven and a half years.
“The mentoring and guidance I have had from senior prosecutors and senior magistrates are invaluable and will be useful for the years ahead.”
Her parents hail from Kotai Village, Dagua Boikin Local Level Government in East Sepik and Nindibari Village, Yangoru, also in East Sepik.
Justice Ganaii, 45, is married with four children.
She began her primary school education from grades one to six at the Ilakaraeta Community School in Kerema, Gulf from 1984 to 1989.
She then completed grades seven to 10 at the Hagen Park Day High School in Mt Hagen from 1990 to 1993, and grades 11 and 12 at the Mt Carmel College in Queensland, Australia from 1994 to 1996.
She pursued her law degree from 1997 to 2000 at the University of PNG. She moved to the Legal Training Institute in 2001 to practice law and be admitted to the bar.
She became a state prosecutor at the Office of the Public Prosecutor, and the officer in charge of the Family and Sexual Violence Unit from 2001 to 2013

“ I am mindful of the standards set by senior judges and mindful of what is expected of us as incumbents and will do my best.”

Then she moved to the magistracy in 2014 where she became a district court magistrate and later acting principal magistrate, until her new appointment to the judiciary last week. She hopes to assist and be relevant in the criminal cases where she will use her 18 years of experience as a state prosecutor and a crimes magistrate, but subject to the direction of Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika.
“The current appointment is on an acting basis for one year and the confirmation for a permanent judge for a longer period of time is based on performance. I aim to do my best and perform to expectation.”
She thanks Almighty God for the plans he has for the judiciary and magistracy, and all the judicial officers at the lower and higher courts.
“I also thank the appointing authority, the Judicial Legal Services Commission, for their trust and confidence in giving me and the other acting judges this privilege and opportunity to serve our people in this way.
“I am mindful of the standards set by senior judges (our predecessors) and am mindful of what is expected of us as incumbents and will do my best.”
According to Chief Justice Sir Gibbs, the women were appointed together and it was the highest number of acting female judges appointed at any one time since 1975.
Justice Ganaii and her five acting judges Nerrie Eliakim, Laura Wawun Kuvi, Irene Ann Mugugia, Emma Wurr and Gertrude Tamade are stepping up the rungs for themselves, their families and women in general.