Current access to justice cannot happen in any civilized country – Chief Justice

Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah said justice may not be readily available to the poor or legally assisted litigants in Ghana.

According to him, this is due to the many constraints facing the judiciary.

“For example, from central Accra to Nsawam, there is not a single court on this stretch to Amasaman. This should not happen in any civilized country. The same situation is true for Kumasi. From central Kumasi to Obuasi there is no court on the way and it is a distance of around 36 miles.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Association of Magistrates and Judges Association of Ghana (AMJG) Annual General Meeting in Accra on Wednesday, Judge Anin-Yeboah said: “We have serious constraints as a ‘institution. Out of a population of over 30 million, we have less than 404 judges and magistrates administering justice in a contentious society like Ghana.

His comments followed similar sentiments expressed by the President of the Association, Judge Senyo Dzamefe. The president of AMJG denounced the current conditions of service of magistrates and judges, in particular the way in which their fuel allowances are paid.

He said the piecemeal approach to paying their allowances leaves a lot to be desired.

Judge Dzamefe therefore called on the government to improve its conditions of service, because the current state of affairs is not encouraging.

The chief justice said that despite these constraints, members of the judiciary must adapt to them in the hope that the government will devote more resources to providing justice infrastructure to support the delivery of justice in the country. .

“We must do our best within the limited logistical constraints to meet the justice needs of our compatriots,” he urged.

Judge Anin-Yeboah took the opportunity to applaud the executive and legislature for building new courts as part of the district assembly’s common fund, “the judiciary is now to receive more than a hundred courts across the country over the next year, ”he said.

He urged members to advise litigants to use an alternative dispute resolution method where appropriate, in order to reduce the burden on judges and magistrates.