Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo
The Judiciary Service of Ghana has now decided to do away with the often tedious manual and paper processes that have characterized its activities and operations.
In place of the traditional processes, it has adopted what it calls an ‘e-Justice Platform’ to automate the existing manual filing systems within the courts’ registries, filing of cases and processes. In effect, the processes would be paperless.
The new system is expected to eliminate human interface and the opportunity for fraudulent conduct and corrupt practices. It is also aimed at computerising court processes for the efficient and effective delivery of justice in the country.
At a short ceremony at the Law Courts Complex, President Akufo-Addo said the e-Justice Platform gives credence to the fact that technology has now permeated every aspect of human endeavour.
Apart from that, he said the project was an
attempt to ensure that the law kept pace with technology, hoping that this
would put an end to the age-old ‘missing docket’ phenomenon and endless
litigation which had plagued the timely dispensation of justice for many years.
As a lawyer who had practised in the courtroom for many years, he said he had witnessed several instances where people felt shortchanged because of the cumbersome nature of the processes involved in filing cases, with some giving up on the justice system altogether.
The President urged the Chief Justice not to relent on her quest to build a first class Judiciary that bore the hallmarks of competence, fairness and independence.
Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo lauded the President’s commitment to leverage ICT to improve the justice delivery system and all other sectors of the economy in Ghana.
She also urged the staff of the Judiciary to apprise themselves to the new system to make the investment in the project worthwhile, and the discharge of justice acceptable to all Ghanaians.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent