Chief Justice Georgina Wood
The Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, has asked judges to deliver quality, just and well-thought out judgments, explaining that delay of cases in the course of the trial has implications for justice.
According to her, the length of trial and management of cases could have many implications and effects on litigants who sometimes abandon their suit as a result of frustration.
The Chief Justice was speaking in Accra on Friday at a stakeholder’s conference on incorporating ADR and Written Witness Statement into the court Adjudication process.
The event, which was sponsored by the Land Administration Project (LAP II), was to find effective ways of improving court processes, enhancing adjudication through the practice of court connected ADR and the use of Written Witness Statement in land use adjudication.
Mrs Wood called on the judiciary not to shy away from making demonstrably beneficial changes in the conduct of affairs so long as justice would be achieved.
According to her, there are too many cases piled up for trial in which about 80 per cent are known to be land cases.
“We are often guided by precedents from our brother and sister judges of different jurisdictions. Our judiciary is thus not closed-minded to comparative experience and best practice,” she said.
Mrs. Wood revealed that the judiciary should provide quality and well-thought judgments, which should be timely to ensure justice delivery in the country.
Dr Odame Larbi, Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, on his part, noted that the mainstreaming of Court ADRs in land cases would help reduce land disputes and ensure speedy land adjudication in the country.
He therefore appealed to the Judiciary to ensure that officials of Lands Commission are included in land cases.
Justice Date Baah, a Supreme Court Judge, who chaired the opening ceremony of the workshop, noted that Ghanaians must ensure that litigations are sent to ADR which had proven to be effective.
According to him, ADR processes provide practical and innovative ways to resolve disputes.
Justice Baah reiterated that the core of ADR processes is principled negotiation and interest-based mediation, adding that mediation could also help parties re-establish trust and respect to prevent unnecessary damage to relationships.
By Stella Danso Addai