Justice Anin-Yeboah
The coronavirus disease declared global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) is affecting the delivery of justice in the country, as more cases are being recorded locally.
As a result, the Chief Justice (CJ) has given further directives to help fight the spread after an initial order, asking only lawyers and litigants to be in the courtrooms.
The new directive encourages a court sitting that has just the lawyers, court clerks and the judge without the presence of litigants.
The courts have also been advised to take long adjournments which could last up to the end of July 2020 subject to the agreement of lawyers in the cases and the court.
The new directive which was issued by the CJ, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, yesterday also urged judges and magistrates to be flexible in granting long adjournments in cases.
Earlier Directive
Last Monday, the CJ issued a directive restricting access to the law courts to only litigants, their lawyers as well as witnesses in scheduled cases in response to the spread of COVID-19.
The statement had directed judges and magistrates to practise “strict case management techniques such that only parties and witnesses in cases listed to be heard on particular dates would be allowed into the courtroom to avoid large gatherings.”
Further Directive
Justice Anin-Yeboah, in a further directive, has said “we are operating in very unusual times with no precedents to guide us”. He urged stakeholders in the justice delivery system to work together to ensure that the needs of the citizenry for justice are met adequately.
The new directive urged lawyers to attend court without their clients and request long adjournments to the end of May, June or July 2020.
It said lawyers could agree on a particular date and communicate the arrangement to the registrar of the court in writing without having to travel to the court to take dates for hearing.
In cases which have been partly heard, only lawyers, witnesses and parties would be allowed to enter the courtroom.
The CJ further urged registrars of the various courts to bear in mind the new directives in scheduling cases to be heard.
The Ghana Bar Association, in a statement signed by its National President, Anthony Forson, urged lawyers to comply with the new directives to prevent a possible spread of the disease.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak