By Yussif Ibrahim
Juaso (Ash), Feb. 23, GNA – Chief Justice Kwasi Annin-Yeboah has commissioned two courts at Juaso and Bompata, both in the Asante-Akim Municipality to facilitate effective justice delivery in the area.
Whereas the new court at Juaso replaces the existing Circuit Court that of Bompata is a newly established District Court which seeks to bring justice closer to the people in that enclave.
The two facilities come with solar powered boreholes and generator sets to ensure uninterrupted power supply, residential accommodation for judges, male and female cells to detain remanded and convicted suspects being prepared for prison.
The Chief Justice officially opened the two courts at separate colourful ceremonies attended by all stakeholders including chiefs, assembly members, assembly staff, court officials, the Clergy, Muslim leaders, and the public.
“Our gathering here today is in fulfilment of our mandate of Judiciary and the Judiciary Service of Ghana to ensure access to justice to the people of Asante-Akim South,” Mr Annin-Yeboah observed.
He explained that the commissioning was part of efforts to deal with the poor state of physical infrastructure, which had over the years militated against effective operations of the courts.
The working environment of the courts, he noted, must not only be conducive for productivity, but must also reflect the authority and dignity of the Judiciary.
He said the indispensable contributions of the Judiciary to the country’s robust constitutional democracy, the culture of rule of law as well as the maintenance of peace and stability could not be overemphasised.
He urged the surrounding communities to utilise the courts and further admonished them to resort to the court connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism where necessary rather than go through stressful litigation with bitter endings.
Mr Alexander Frimpong, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said Asante-Akim South had been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the President’s vision to improve court infrastructure across the country through the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and the Judicial Service.
He said the commissioning of the courts was a huge relief for the assembly considering the poor state of the existing Circuit Court at Juaso which was not conducive the dispensation of justice.
The installation of solar panel and generator sets in the two courts meant there was not going to be power interruption anymore, which was a complete departure from the situation where work had to stop anytime the national grid went off.
With the commissioning of the courts, it is the expectation that people would desist from taking the law into their hands but rather seek redress at the court as law abiding citizens, the MCE opined.
GNA