Prosecutors, lawyers and relatives lament absence of Judges at Ofaakor Circuit Court

Prosecutors, lawyers, litigants and relatives of accused persons standing trial at the Ofaakor Circuit Court in Kasoa have been left frustrated and wailing in the past month due to the absence of a presiding judge at the court. This follows the promotion of the substantive judge, Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko, to the High Court and his subsequent departure on Friday, September 30 this year. Consequently, all ongoing cases in the court have stalled, fresh cases are on hold while accused persons and remand prisoners are all locked up in cells. A source close to the Court that spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on condition of anonymity expressed frustrations with the situation, indicating how it affected the work of the police, lawyers and all other parties. The source said the work of the court had been thrown out of gear as various parties trooped in and out without any show. “The court is really frustrated; we are all frustrated. It is affecting the cases that the police are doing in Kasoa and its environs. Remand prisoners are all locked up in cells and as we all know, Kasoa is a busy place,” the source lamented. It said since the courts could not be closed, only went to seek adjournments from the clerks at the detriment of the litigants and accused persons. Relatives of some accused persons are peeved by the situation and had accused the court of subjecting their relatives to injustice by holding them up in the cells unduly, it further revealed. The source, therefore, appealed to the State to immediately provide the court with a judge to keep it running. “Relatives are complaining bitterly, the lawyers are not happy and our workload keeps piling up. Honestly, they think the wheel of justice has grounded to a halt here. “Our appeal is for the State to give us a substantive judge as soon as possible to help us do our work and reduce everybody’s burden,” the source added.

Prosecutors, lawyers, litigants and relatives of accused persons standing trial at the Ofaakor Circuit Court in Kasoa have been left frustrated and wailing in the past month due to the absence of a presiding judge at the court. This follows the promotion of the substantive judge, Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko, to the High Court and his subsequent departure on Friday, September 30 this year. Consequently, all ongoing cases in the court have stalled, fresh cases are on hold while accused persons and remand prisoners are all locked up in cells. A source close to the Court that spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on condition of anonymity expressed frustrations with the situation, indicating how it affected the work of the police, lawyers and all other parties. The source said the work of the court had been thrown out of gear as various parties trooped in and out without any show. “The court is really frustrated; we are all frustrated. It is affecting the cases that the police are doing in Kasoa and its environs. Remand prisoners are all locked up in cells and as we all know, Kasoa is a busy place,” the source lamented. It said since the courts could not be closed, only went to seek adjournments from the clerks at the detriment of the litigants and accused persons. Relatives of some accused persons are peeved by the situation and had accused the court of subjecting their relatives to injustice by holding them up in the cells unduly, it further revealed. The source, therefore, appealed to the State to immediately provide the court with a judge to keep it running. “Relatives are complaining bitterly, the lawyers are not happy and our workload keeps piling up. Honestly, they think the wheel of justice has grounded to a halt here. “Our appeal is for the State to give us a substantive judge as soon as possible to help us do our work and reduce everybody’s burden,” the source added.