Ghanaians have been advised to petition against any Court Official who treats them badly, especially when made to pay money without receiving an official receipt.
A Judge, Justice Eric Kyei Barfuor who gave the advice also stressed that the Public need not fear the Court since it is for the People with its Officials just playing the role of Caretakers.
Justice Kyei Barfour was speaking at an outreach Programme organised by the Judicial Service at Nsoatre in the Sunyani West District of the Bono Region.
The Judicial Service Outreach to the Sunyani West District was under the theme: “Strengthening Access to Justice in Our Courts and Making them User Friendly.”
It was aimed at helping dispel the perception that the courts are a no go area and facilitate access to justice for all. In attendance were people from various walks of life.
In a welcome address, the MCE for Sunyani West, Martin Obeng noted that the choice of Nsoatre in Sunyani West to host the outreach could not have been better since the area is seriously underserved.
According to him with a population of well over 130,000, the Municipality has only two Courts.
This he said combines with other factors to make access to justice well out of the reach of many.
The gathering were treated to a number of presentations on various legal topics.
These include; ‘the Role of Lawyers in Criminal and Civil Proceedings, Education on the Court Processes in Civil and Criminal procedures and the Sentencing Guidelines of the Judicial Service and Spousal Rights to Property: Comparing Divorce to Death of a Spouse and many more.
In a presentation on the Role of the Public Relations Unit in Effective Justice Delivery at the Local Level, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour noted the great fear many Ghanaians harbour for the Court and said it is unfortunate since the Courts are for the people.
He further advised people to seek redress if they feel cheated by a Court Official.
Story filed by John Sam-Arthur
