Source: newsthemegh.com
Courts of Appeal have been reopened in various regions of the nation by Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Court of Appeal’s previous plans to hold sessions in Kumasi, Tamale, Ho, Koforidua, and Cape Coast in addition to Accra to hear cases involving other regions of the nation were shelved.
From now on, the Court of Appeal will convene in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region; Koforidua, in the Eastern Region; and Sekondi, in the Western Region, in addition to Accra.
At a meeting with the Judicial Press Corps last Thursday at the Law Court Complex in Accra, Justice Torkornoo made this announcement.
According to the Chief Justice, administrative measures had been taken to guarantee that the reopened courts started up later this month.
“A lot of consultation has gone into all these decisions. We have spoken with Parliament, the Bar and other stakeholders to arrive at this,” she said.
“Justice is a product of people of Ghana. Law is made by the people of Ghana; it is only administered by the judiciary, and therefore, we must take all steps to bring justice closer to people,” she added.
Justice Torkornoo went on to say that the Court of Appeal’s reopening was a part of the judiciary’s ongoing efforts to make justice more accessible to the public.
The Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Western North areas would be served by the Court of Appeal in Kumasi, according to the Chief Justice.
Additionally, it will host virtual court sessions for the north’s six regions.
Justice Torkornoo went on to say that the declining condition of the Cape Coast court complex was the reason the Court of Appeal was transferred to Sekondi.
She also mentioned that the Eastern, Oti, and Volta regions will now be served by the Koforidua Court of Appeal.
Judge Torkornoo clarified that the goal of the new court shift system (CSS), which will be trialed in Accra, is to improve the delivery of justice by reducing the number of cases in courts.
Commencing on March 25, this year, the Chief Justice’s innovation, the CSS, permits certain courts to hold morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., while the afternoon session runs from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The two High Courts in Adentan, the Amasaman High Court One, the Circuit Court in Weija, the District Court in La, the District Court in Teshie, the two District Courts in Madina, and the Nsawam High Court are the courts that were chosen for the CSS.
According to Justice Torkornoo, the CSS was implemented when it was discovered that certain courts had up to 1,000 cases, while others had as few as thirty.