Gov’t asked to transform legal AID into commission

Richard Adazabra, Upper East Regional Director of the Legal Aid Scheme, has appealed to government to transform the Scheme into a commission. He explained this would help attract more lawyers to the scheme, to enable the body to work on the numerous cases pending before it.

Mr Adazabra made the suggestion when he delivered a lecture on the ‘’Role of the Legal Aid Scheme’’, at a programme organised for the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD), in Bolgatanga at the weekend.

It formed part of a project dubbed: “Enhancing Persons with Disability (PWDs) Access to Justice Through Human Rights Education and Capacity Building Project” being implemented in the region by the GSPD. The project is to sensitize stakeholders on the needs of PWDs and to support them to access both formal and informal support to enable the PWDS to seek redress when their rights are violated.

Mr Adazabra lamented that in the region, the Scheme had only one lawyer with several cases before him to deal with leading to delay in justice delivery. He reminded the public that the Scheme seeks to provide legal service to persons who are disadvantaged, especially PWDs, who cannot afford representation at court .

Mr Adazabra said the Regional Directorate of the Legal Aid Scheme, received cases of lack of maintenance of children and wives and the abuse of the rights of PWDs.

He warned land lords and land ladies who refuse to rent accommodation to PWDs to stop the practice since they would be dealt with severely if caught. David Ania, the Manager of the project, appealed to the public to refrain from abusing PWDs.