Develop clear records on land ownership - Chief Justice entreats Houses of Chiefs
The Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, has entreated the Houses of Chiefs to create clear records on ownership of lands within their respective paramountcies in the broader interest of the country.
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“The subject of proper administration of land ownership has now become an extremely sore point that the courts need the active attention of our Houses of Chiefs and ethnic leadership to address,” she said.
Justice Torkornoo was addressing the 2023 annual Chief Justice’s Forum in Ho in the Volta Region on Thursday on the theme: “Building the pillars of justice.”
About 200 magistrates, judges, institutional heads, representatives of CSOs, assembly members, religious leaders, members of the Ghana Bar Association, transport operators and market women were present.
Issues discussed included the state of justice delivery to all people in a timely and efficient manner.
Concerns
The Chief Justice said issues of land management were presenting huge blockades to the smooth administration of justice and investments in the country.
She said although the law on land ownership in the country was built on legislation, land ownership itself was built on customary law arrangements.
In that vein, Justice Torkornoo said whether land ownership was traced to clans, families or stools, it was invariably a matter of custom and a fact that could be determined only by clear and cogent evidence presented by leaders of stools, clans or families that owned the lands.
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She said where the evidence was compromised by inconsistencies, contradictions, and alleged parallel lines of leadership, investors became trapped between those inconsistencies and contradictions.
The Chief Justice further said that the ambiguity over ownership of lands was shaking the ethical foundation and the economic growth of the country.
“So as custodians of custom, please allow the courts to look up to you for support in building this pillar of justice which is data based on land ownership in our country,” she added.
Technology
The Chief Justice described technology as an enabler of justice, and said it was for this reason the Judicial Service had deployed the E-justice system to facilitate justice delivery.
She, therefore, urged personnel of the service to embrace electronic filing of cases, electronic service of processes and electronic hearing of cases.
“For this to be possible, we all need to identify our GPS addresses, and get email addresses, as well as nationally registered telephone numbers that will be added to our addresses when cases come to court,” Justice Torkornoo added.
Pillars of justice
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, said building the pillars of justice was key, and therefore, the need for actors in the administration of justice to reflect on the state of justice delivery in the country and see how they could leverage on human resources to facilitate their work.
“This is more so in this technological age where we can strengthen our justice system to endure the future,” he added.
The President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and the Paramount Chief of Anfoe,Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, said the forum was relevant, and must, therefore, be sustained.
The president, who is also a seasoned private legal practitioner, said the forum sensitised the public to the justice delivery system in the country.