Mr. Justice Yaw Apau, Sole Commissioner of the Judgment Debt Commission, on Thursday urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to strengthen their legal directorates, to help curbed the menace of judgment debts.
He said many a time, the failure of these legal directorates to provide support to the
Attorney-General’s (AG) Department in matters of claims brought against the state, has resulted in default judgments, leading to the state incurring huge judgment debts.
Justice Apau made the appeal at the Commission’s sitting in Accra, during which Mr Makarios Akanbong, Deputy Director of the Legal and Consulate Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, took his turn to present records to the Commission on claims brought against the Ministry by individuals and institutions.
The Sole Commissioner urged MDAs to involve their legal directorates in their deliberations and decision-making, so that they would be well-informed of happenings within the institutions.
Mr. Akanbong said, the Ministry, as part of efforts to re-brand and strengthen the Legal and Consulate Bureau, had recruited more lawyers.
He said claims of compensations had been filed in courts against the Ministry by an institution and two individuals, whereas another is under arbitration.
He said the AG’s Department was vigorously pursuing the cases with their support, adding that there were some labour issues which the Ministry was trying to resolve through arbitration.
Mr. Kofi Dometi Sokpo, counsel of the Commission, announced that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health who were supposed to be at the sitting had written letters to them asking for adjournments.
The Commission subsequently re-scheduled them to appear before it on Thursday, May 22 and Thursday, June 12 respectively.
He said the Chief Valuer of the Lands Commission who was also supposed to be at the sitting, had also asked for an adjournment due to an urgent official assignment.
The Commission accordingly re-scheduled the Lands Commission for Tuesday, June 10, and adjourned sitting to Monday, May 19.
