Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo (M)
Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has inaugurated the Small Claims and Debt Recovery Courts as part of measures to address the backlog of cases in the courts and further improve the delivery of justice in the country.
The initiative is a partnership between Bills Micro Credit Limited formerly Quick Credit and the Judiciary in a bid to address the 55,000 debt recovery cases the company intends filing – 30,000 of which have already been filed.
The Small Claims and Debt Recovery Courts which will initially operate on a pilot basis, would cover a total of 12 courts, eight (8) in the Greater Accra Region and four (4) in Ashanti Regions.
The courts will sit every working day in the afternoons and on Saturdays. The courts will sit from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm on working days and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays.
According to the Chief Justice, a recent analysis done by the Quality Assurance unit of the Judicial Service in seven District Courts in Accra revealed a spike in case load of small claims as a result of thousands of new cases filed by Bills Micro Credit Limited for the recovery of debt, over 70 percent of which were for claims less than GH¢5,000.
This development, she said significantly increased the volume of cases before the typically loaded calendars of most of the District Courts under review and also affected the situation of the District Courts currently operating the pilot Court Shift System which was introduced by the Judicial Service in March this year.
To this end, Justice Torkornoo noted that after constructive engagement between the Judicial Service and the leadership of Bills Micro Credit Limited “and in the true spirit of public-private partnership for the promotion of the ultimate ends of justice, a solution was designed,” resulting in the establishment of the Small Claims and Debt Recovery Courts.
“It is to be noted that though Quick Credit may have provoked this initiative, the courts are a national asset open to adjudicating claims from all financial institutions, in order that the time value of liquidated claims are not eroded by delays in the courts,” the Chief Justice said.
Justice Torkornoo expressed the expectation that with the launch of these Small Claims Debt Recovery Courts and cooperation of citizens, and the businesses involved, the nation can confront head-on and in a speedy manner, the challenge of the nearly 55,000 claims that Bills Micro Credit Limited alone has expressed the intention of filing in the Lower Courts.
She encouraged all micro finance companies that require support of increased services to inform the Office of the Judicial Secretary to enable these extra hour courts to effectively serve the needs of the whole nation.
Founder and Board Chairman of Bills Micro Credit Ltd., Richard Quaye, said the establishment of the courts is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Judicial Service to ensure that justice is not only served but is served swiftly and efficiently.
While highlighting the achievements of the company, he acknowledged that one significant challenge it has faced is the sheer volume of defaulters resulting in its need to resort to the courts for recovery of over 30,000 filed cases seeking expedited hearings.
“These cases often stem from our relentless pursuit to ensure that the credit extended to our clients is recovered in a timely manner, thereby sustaining our ability to serve more Ghanaians,” Mr. Quaye said.
He reaffirmed Bills Micro Credit Limited’s commitment to ethical business practices and our resolve to contribute positively to the economic development of Ghana.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly, Solomon Kotey Nikoi, noted that the assembly would leverage the establishment of the courts to improve its debt recovery activities, especially in the areas of property rates, building permits, business operating permit, among others.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak