Discussants worried about poor state of judicial infrastructure

Kumasi, June 17, GNA - Poor state of infrastructure in the judicial system, especially at the lower courts, took a centre stage at a round table discussion to commemorate the 11th Annual constitutional week celebration in Kumasi on Thursday.

The state of the infrastructure, according to the discussants, is a bane to justice delivery and investor confidence in the judicial system.

The round table discussion, which was organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), was under the theme, "The state of Ghana's democracy-The role of the judiciary/justice system".

Mr Ernest Owusu Dapaah, a Kumasi based lawyer, painted a gloomy picture of the state of infrastructure of the courts, especially at the district and magistrate levels, and said most district, circuit and magistrate courts are housed in dilapidated buildings with poor furniture and outmoded equipment.

This, coupled with abysmally low remuneration for judges and other judicial staff, makes it difficult for the dispensation of justice. This situation, according to him delays justice delivery and affects the confidence of investors and slows down the country's development.

Mr Owusu Dapaah said it was time policy makers took serious view of the state of infrastructure and salaries of judicial officials in the country.

He said if the country wanted to have an effective judicial system which impinges well on development, then there was the need to pay judicial officials well to reduce bribery and corruption.

Mr Francis Kofigah, a Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, said it was important for citizens to play a greater role in the sanitization of the judicial system.

This they can do by refusing to pay bribes and reporting corrupt judges and judicial staffs.

Mr Kofigah stressed the need for speedy resolution of electoral disputes to avoid chaos in the country's democratic dispensation.

Mr Alhassan Yakubu, Ashanti Regional Director of NCCE, appealed to the government to provide adequate financial resources to the Commission to enable it discharge its constitutional mandate.