Law Court Complex to be ready June
Construction of the $50 million Law Court Complex in Accra is scheduled to be completed by the end of June this year.
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About 92 per cent of the work has been completed, according to the consulting firm, Avangarde Design Services.
The project, which began in August 2011 and is funded by the Government of Ghana, has 42 courtrooms.
Other facilities in the six-storey building are judges’ chambers, cells, registries, witnesses’ waiting rooms, lawyers/clients meeting rooms, rooms for alternative dispute resolution, a conference room, a library, a banking hall, a clinic and a media briefing room.
There is also a basement, which has a holding cell and car parks for the public and judges. China State Hualong Construction Limited are the contractors for the project.
Project details
Journalists toured the project yesterday to obtain firsthand information on it. The lead consultant for the project, Mr Tony Yeboah Asare, conducted the journalists round.
Some workers were seen painting the walls, while others were putting finishing touches to some sections.
Mr Asare said the outstanding work included the installation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system, adding that ICT engineers were on hand to start work to beat the June deadline.
High Courts
The Director of Communications at the Judicial Service, Mrs Grace Tagoe, said all the high courts - general and specialised - in Accra, would be moved to the Law Court Complex by the end of this year.
Also, she said some Courts of Appeal would be stationed at the complex.
Mrs Tagoe said the construction of the complex formed part of the five-year strategic plan of the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Wood and the Judicial Council to offer justice without barriers.
She indicated that it was the aim of the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council “to ensure that people are able to access justice easily, freely and at a lesser cost.”
For instance, Mrs Tagoe said, when all the High Courts were moved to the complex, it would be easy for lawyers to move from one court to another to serve their clients.
Besides, she said there would be one point for people to pay court fees.