A new District Court has been inaugurated at Nogokpo in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region to allow for the relocation of the court, currently operating at the Municipal Assembly Hall at Denu-Tokor.
In December 2020, the Ketu South Municipal Assembly commissioned a new building at Tokor, designated as Circuit Court and inaugurated the District Court at the Assembly Hall.
This followed the closure of the two courts in March 2019 with pending cases transferred to the Agbozume District Court and Keta Circuit Court for continuation in an exercise by the then Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo.
That was to weed out courthouses, which did not meet the standard of edifices for the administration of justice in the country.
Justice John Ekow Mensah, the Supervising Judge for the Volta Region, inaugurated the court on Friday on behalf of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Sackey Torkornoo.
The courthouse represented a significant step forward in ensuring that every individual regardless of his/her location or circumstance had access to a fair and just legal system, the Chief Justice said in a speech read on her behalf.
She commended the Government, the Assembly and community leaders for their efforts in establishing the court.
“The courthouse stands as a testament to our commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is not just a distant concept but a tangible reality for all.”
Justice Torkornoo urged the judiciary to reaffirm their dedication to upholding the principles of equality, impartiality and transparency in their decisions while urging the court staff to treat individuals seeking justice with respect and dignity.
“…In the end, the courthouse’s success will lie not just on this architectural attributes but also on the commitment and moral character of individuals who work here.”
“If the work of justice is done well with attention to these values, first by judges and magistrates, then the judicial staff and other court users, justice will become accessible to all and the future of stability and prosperity can be our reality.”
Mr Maxwell Koffie Lugudor, the Municipal Chief Executive, urged everyone to make use of the court rather than take the law into their own hands in settling disputes because that was the only way to ensure peace and justice.
Meanwhile, he appealed for timely resolution of disputes in the justice administration as “justice delayed is justice denied”.
He reminded the court of its ultimate responsibility of preserving the rule of law to ensure “stability and balance in our system.”
Torgbiga Adama III, Paramount Chief of Somé, said the siting of the court at Nogokpo, “the citadel of justice” was historic for Ketu South and Somé in particular and expressed the hope that it would enhancing justice delivery in the municipality.
He complained about the high cost of seeking justice in the country, saying it was beyond the reach of many people and appealed to the Chief Justice to intervene to alleviate the plight of the poor.
Mr Jonas Fotor Agbagba, the Assembly member for Nogokpo/Atsivuta, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, said Nogokpo had always been known as a place to seek justice because of the traditional and spiritual shrine, Zakadza, and it was gratifying that a judicial court had been established there.
He said the court building was a form of encouragement to schoolchildren to take their studies seriously “so that tomorrow, we can become lawyers, judges and court registrars but not to encourage litigation among us so that every minor issue, we’ll start to sing court, court, court.”
GNA
MA/LKA/ABD
24 Feb 2024
