A new one-storey court complex building comprising a high court and a circuit court with residential facilities for the judicial staff has been inaugurated at Akropong, capital of the Akuapem North Municipality.
It is expected to ease the difficulties of litigants in the Akuapem enclave in the Eastern Region in accessing redress.
The building also has two chambers for the two judges, offices for the registrars, cashiers and bailiffs, a docket room, a place for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and a 40-KVA stand by generator set for back-up power supply and a borehole to supply regular water.
Hitherto, litigants within the Akuapem enclave had to travel to Koforidua, the regional capital, and other parts of the country where high courts are available to access justice delivery.
Such a problem made it difficult for those in the lower earning brackets to access redress at the high court.
Inauguration
At a ceremony to officially inaugurate the new facility at Akropong, the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, said apart from the lack of a High Court, the area previously only relied on a single court house which served numerous communities.
The communities, he stated, were Adukrom, Abiriw, Dawu, Mamfe, Larteh, Amanokrom, Tutu, Ahwirase, Aburi and other nearby communities.
Such a situation, the Chief Justice indicated, was so stressful for litigants, lawyers and judicial staff.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie stressed that with the new court complex, particularly the high court, people in the area would be able to access justice promptly and conveniently.
The Chief Justice said the facility was included in the national construction of court houses and residential accommodation project, funded through the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
The Chief Justice urged the chiefs and people of Akuapem and the Akuapem North Municipal Assembly to take good care of the facility.
Safeguarding constitution
The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, said since the judiciary had been playing a significant role in justice delivery by safeguarding the Constitution, protecting the rights of the people and ensuring accountability, her outfit would continue to support the Judicial Service.
She stated that a well resourced judiciary remained the backbone of the country’s democracy, and that the government was, therefore, committed to retool and strengthened it as well as other state institutions to ensure the effective execution of their functions.
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Source:
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