Dormaa Ahenkro (B/R), March 3, GNA – The Legal Aid Commission (LAC) in the Dormaa Central Municipality has resolved more than 1,000 cases through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism since the start of operation in 2014, Mr Simon Gyabaah, the District Officer has stated.
The ADR mechanism ensures quick arbitration, negotiation and mediation of cases among parties and helps to prevent parties from lodging cases at the law courts to check the backlog of unresolved cases in the courts.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Bono Region about the activities and challenges of the Commission, Mr Gyabaah said tenancy and rent issues were usually the most frequently reported cases, constituting 50 per cent of total cases while debt cases covered 25 per cent and the rest related to issues of marriage and child maintenance.
He said the Commission under the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General aims to become “the leading agency delivering professional legal services to the poor, partnering harmoniously with stakeholders in the justice delivery system to achieve a just and equitable society.”
Mr Gyabaah said the Commission should have operated in all districts nationwide but that had not been possible because of inadequate resources, including office accommodation and other logistics.
He said the District Assemblies were to provide office spaces to the Commission to enable it to operate in fulfilment of its mandate.
The three sister regions of Bono, Bono East and Ahafo have only six offices, Sunyani, Dormaa-Ahenkro, Techiman, Atebubu, Goaso and Duayaw-Nkwanta.
He said because of the lack of offices in the districts people had to travel long distances from communities such as Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District, Wamfie, Dormaa East District and communities around the Berekum enclave, including Berekum, Sampa and Drobo to Dormaa-Ahenkro to access the Commission’s services.
He explained the Commission offered legal services such as advice to individual clients and parties who breached the law by providing and recommending lawyers for the less privileged free of charge and also doing public education and sensitisation on individuals’ rights and responsibilities concerning the law.
Mr Gyabaah said the Commission did not deal with criminal cases such as stealing, rape, defilement and murder but rather focused on matters of inheritance, insurance, tenancy, compensation, land, debts, marital and child maintenance cases.
He said matters supposed to be referred to courts were first referred to the regional office of the Commission in Sunyani before they could be sent to any Court of competent jurisdiction in Sunyani.
Mr Gyabaah appealed to individuals and organisations for logistical and financial assistance to enable the Commission to function efficiently.
GNA