Chief Justice Orders Immediate Closure of Adjabeng District Court # 2

General News of Sunday, June 2, 2019

Source: gbcghanaonline.com

2019-06-02

Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has ordered the immediate closure of the Adjabeng 2 District Court in Korle Clottey Municipality, Greater Accra Region. During a visit to some facilities in Accra, Ms. Akuffo described the environment as unfriendly for use by the courts.

She asked the Assembly to demolish the building or risk a lawsuit as a private citizen.

She said that the asbestos roof and the sides of the building posed a threat to the health of court staff and users.

The visit led Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo to nearly 20 courts in Accra, including Circuit Court Complex, Teshie District Court and La and Adjabeng District Court in Abeka, in the municipality. from Korle Clottey.

All courts visited at the Circuit Court complex were equipped with a faulty air conditioner, poor storage of documents, old damaged furniture, stuffy and aged carpets, leaking roofs and damaged cabinets.

The Chief Justice, dissatisfied with developments at the Circuit Court complex, criticized the Probate Branch for not being proactive in maintaining the facilities.

In the Teshie District Court, the magistrate, Mrs. Sediman Awo Balokah, lamented that the badembly did not provide her with housing, which is detrimental to the efficient performance of her work.

She complained that the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly was fighting the court for getting her share of fines imposed on people by the court. She explained that these sums are not held by the Court but are integrated into a consolidated fund. Ms. Akuffo described the structure as being below standard with many flaws.

In La District Court, Ms. Akuffo said the court should be quoted away from offices housing other government institutions.

The La District Court, which hears an average of about 25 cases per day, is located in an improvised building located in the La. District Assembly Office.

The Chief Justice asked the Municipal Assembly to bring a prototype of a court building to the specifications of the Judicial Service.

In the meantime, Ms. Akuffo ordered the immediate relocation of the Adjabeng District 2 court to Abeka.

She was not satisfied with the conditions under which the court operates and called the premises a time bomb, detrimental to the health of staff and clients of the court.