Appeal Court judge urges Ghanaians to resort more to ADR process

Ho, Jan. 31, GNA - Justice Samuel Marful-Sau, Court of Appeal Judge in charge of the National Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programme, has urged Ghanaians to use the ADR process to settle petty differences instead of trial procedures at the courts. He said this would reduce the load of trial cases to enable the judiciary to channel more efforts and skills on those matters or issues that are too difficult to resolve and therefore require trials at the courts.

Justice Marful-Sau was addressing the first of three public sensitization forums planned for the Volta Region in Ho last Thursday on the Court-Connected ADR.

The two other forums for the region, is scheduled for Jasikan and Dzodze on February 4, and 10, this year respectively. The forums formed part of an ongoing nationwide programme.

Besides the forums, the Judicial Service of Ghana ADR team would meet with mediators and magistrates and staff of courts in the region. Mr Justice Marful-Sau said the time-tested mediation process practiced long time ago had some advantages over the court system. He said while the court system normally brushed the sensibilities of litigants, the ADR procedure was less confrontational. Mr Justice Marful-Sau said besides the court-connected ADR process, where cases on mutual agreement of the sides were withdrawn, settled and decisions documented, there were several other avenues for mediation through for instance the families, churches and chieftaincy arrangements.

He said the nation must build a justice system that is fluid and trustworthy to gain the confidence of investors. Chiefs, religious leaders, heads of the security services and district assemblies were some of the groups that attended the Ho forum. 31 Jan. 10