The public has been warned not to bribe court employees who demand money ostensibly on behalf of judges in exchange for favorable rulings by Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
According to her, judges frequently didn't ask for or receive this money; instead, shady court employees used it as a ruse to profit themselves.
Justice Torkornoo subsequently advised the general public to report to the Judicial Service any court personnel who would ask for money under the pretense of transferring it to a judge.
She made the appeal during two different Chief Justice Community Sensitization Programs, both in the Eastern Region, at Akwatia in the Demkyembour District and Kraboa Coaltar in the Ayensuono District.
Justice Torkornoo's initiative is a program in which she engages the general people in local areas to discuss the role of the judiciary and fundamental legal concepts.
Its goal is to demystify the judiciary's operations and provide the general people a greater knowledge and respect of the judiciary as the third branch of government.
Justice Torkornoo stated that the Judicial Service's efforts to stop the vile and unpatriotic activities of court officials who created a market for stealing money from court users under the guise of giving it to judges would be aided by the public's cooperation in reporting instances of bribery, as requested by court staff.
"Any court clerk, interpreter, recorder, registrar, or other staff member who requests payment from a judge is a thief.
In reality, most of these cases do not involve judges asking for payment; instead, they are unaware of the fact that payment is made and does not come to them.
"Report such employees to the Judicial Service and the police.
We will conduct an investigation, and if they are found to be responsible, I will fire them and make sure they are dealt with severely.
This is a bad culture destroying the image of the Judiciary, and we are determined to stamp it out,” she said.
The Chief Justice said it was a crime and against the standards of the Judicial Service for court officials to demand money before performing their duties, meant to enhance justice delivery, to the public.
“Bring those people to our attention, and I will not hesitate to sack them, while they also face the full rigours of the law,” she said.
She said the doors of the Judicial Service were open to receive and act on complaints against staff of the service.
“There is a revamped Public Complaints Directorate with public complaints units at all courts.
My office accepts and acts on petitions daily.
Every day, not less than 10 petitions arrive on my desk, and we act on all of them.
“If you are aggrieved by the work of a registrar, clerk, judge or any court staff, let us know, and we will deal with it,” she said.
Measures
The Chief Justice announced that as part of efforts to make the public understand the work of the Judiciary, the Judicial Service would soon come out with courts’ user guides that would explain the jurisdictions of the various courts.
The guides, she explained, would be made available at all court buildings so that the public could access them and understand in simple terms what a particular court could do.
She said the Judicial Service would also post on court premises the fees for the various services it provided to ensure transparency and to prevent staff from demanding more than what was appropriate.
“Let us allow the courts to serve us well.
We must come together and stop all the bottlenecks that frustrate people with the judicial system.
When the Judiciary succeeds, we will all have peace and prosperity,” the Chief Justice added.
As part of the sensitisation programme, participants are allowed to ask the Chief Justice questions relating to the work of the Judiciary, with the Chief Justice answering and explaining the initiatives being implemented by the Judicial Service to improve access to justice and openness and fairness in justice delivery.
On the theme: “Improving Justice Delivery through Community Engagement”, the overall objective of the sensitisation programme is to educate the public and strengthen trust and confidence in the Judiciary.
The Chief Justice normally engages in sensitisation programmes when she visits towns and villages to perform official functions such as the inauguration of new court buildings and infrastructure for the Judiciary.
The initiative has so far been run in six communities: New Abirem, Akwatia, and Kraboa Coaltar in the Eastern Region, and Baastonaa, Ada, and Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Area.
One of the main issues discussed by the Chief Justice at Akwatia and Kraboa Coaltar was alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and its significance in the peaceful resolution of conflicts and litigations.
Judge Torkornoo urged litigants to utilize the courts associated with the ADR system to settle their problems, calling it as a quicker and less time-consuming method.
ADR, she claimed, not only expedited the procedure but also made sure that the conflict did not completely damage the relationships between the parties.
Attorneys-advised-reduction (ADR) is a private, self-administered service that assists in preserving relationships that may otherwise deteriorate during long-term litigation in the traditional court setting.
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