First Fast Track Court inaugurated
Accra (Greater Accra) 02 April 2001
The first Fast Track Court (FTC) aimed at ensuring the expeditious and effective delivery of justice, was on Friday opened at the Supreme Court.
The FTC, a division of the High Court, will apply modern methods, based on information technology, to deal with a selected number of civil cases on pilot basis.
It will deal with cases involving investment, election petitions, specified commercial and industrial cases, prerogative writs, as well as human rights and revenue cases.
FTC will eventually get rid of such cases within a maximum period of six months so as to reduce the backlog at the High Courts.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Attorney General and Minister of Justice who opened the court said delays remain seemingly perennial features of the administration of justice.
He therefore underscored the need to radically overhaul the legal system to improve the climate and culture of respect for human rights and the rule of law.
These successful reforms, he said, will also improve "our prospects for attracting private investment for the structural transformation of the national economy."
Nana Akufo-Addo said as part of the reforms, the physical infrastructure as well as the mechanisation of the courts and their registries would be vigorously pursued and substantially improved.
The FTC initiative is a commendable one that needs to be pursued, he said, stressing that though it is a pilot project, it should be the collective determination of stakeholders to ensure that it becomes an essential and permanent feature of the court processes in the future.
He expressed the hope that as the initiators get more familiar with the system, the disposal period of the backlog of cases at the High Courts would be reduced to three months.
Nana Akufo-Addo expressed regrets that initially FTC does not cater for the many people who have been remanded in prison custody by the criminal justice system.
Cases involving some of these people have even been forgotten, he noted and described the situation as unsatisfactory under a constitution, which entrenches respect for human rights.
"A large remand population is an affront to the rule of law", he said, and stressed the need to extend the FTC facility to cover criminal cases.
The Attorney General urged the judiciary, academia and civil society to join the crusade for "a new, improved legal system worthy of our nation's dignity."
Mr Justice Emmanuel Wiredu, Acting Chief Justice said the success of the FTC facility will depend on the attitudinal change in the justice delivery system.
He expressed concern about absenteeism and lateness to court, and said these negative tendencies contribute in no small measure to the frequent adjournments of cases.
Justice Wiredu charged judges sitting on FTC cases to be firm, resolute and dedicated since the success or failure of the system depend on them.
"Bear in mind that society will forever blame you if this experiment to expeditiously try cases fails."
GRi../
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com