Justice for the poor is expensive, Legal Aid that can help is under-resourced – SC judge nominee

A Supreme Court nominee, Justice Eric Adjei-Frimpong, says impoverished individuals still have difficulty accessing justice in Ghana.

He said acquiring the services of a lawyer is expensive, and that makes it difficult for the poor to be able to have that service when they are supposed to be arranged before the court.

Justice Eric Adjei-Frimpong said Legal Aid is supposed to access the people who cannot afford private lawyers, but the entity cannot provide that support because they are not well-resourced by the state, and that needs to change to make justice accessible to every Ghanaian.

“Justice is expensive these days, and that is why we should look at other areas so that those who cannot afford it can go and seek some assistance, and that is why the Legal Aid Department becomes important.”

“So we should ask ourselves if, over the years, the Legal Aid Department has been resourced well, and I will say no. And so that tells you the serious nature of the matter.”

“These days we have a lot of courts available, and I think the system is doing better, and what we have to do is make our process of litigation friendly so that people can access it.

We can also look at ADR, and that is another avenue that justice can access at a cheaper rate,” Justice Eric Adjei-Frimpong said as aired on Rainbow Radio Accra.