CJ appeals to public to fight ills against justice administration

Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, the Chief Justice (CJ), has appealed to public-spirited individuals, agencies and organisations to assist the Judiciary Service fight the ills that militate against the smooth administration of justice in the country.

She called on members of the general public to report those grave acts of misconduct that frowned on and threatened the rule of law to its complaints unit or directly to the CJ’s office for prompt action and redress.

Mrs Justice Wood said these during the inauguration of the rehabilitated and automated Kpando District and Circuit Courts with jurisdiction extending to Biakoye, North and South Dayi districts on Monday.

It was financed by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Good Governance and Human Rights Programme of the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) with counterpart funding from the government.

She said it behooved on all and sundry to help the Judiciary Service build a credible and trustworthy system that would guarantee judicial values and the fundamental rights of quality justice to all.

Mrs Justice Wood was optimistic the automation of the courts would lessen the delays arising from factors that impede justice delivery and entreated judges and staff to rise up to the challenge.

Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Supreme Court Judge with oversight responsibility for the Volta Region fingered members of the public for calling the shots for inducements and other corruptible and bribery tendencies to the judiciary.

He appealed to them to leave judges, magistrates and jurors alone to make them discharge their duties unimpeded.

Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Member of Parliament for North Dayi and Minister of Tourism, the initiator of the rehabilitation works during the era of the late Mr Justice T. K. Acquah in 2001, said her motivation stemmed from modernization of the courts to instill confidence in the public.

She said her tenure had witnessed lots of development projects with the last before retiring from Parliament being the construction of a bridge to link Kpando, Agbenohoe and Dafor.

Mr Francis K. Ganyaglo, Kpando Municipal Chief Executive, said the rehabilitation and automation of the courts would not only bring justice closer to the people, but justice delivery would be swift and prompt.

Togbuiga Dagadu VIII, Paramount Chief of Akpini Traditional Area, who presided, requested that the Kpando courts be upgraded to a High court status as the area was becoming a cosmopolitan in nature due to its catchment jurisdiction.

An emergency ambulance vehicle from the National Ambulance Service under the auspices of the Ministry of Health was inaugurated as part of the event.