Retool Legal Aid to improve their-Government told

A Rule of Law Specialist with the Legal Resources Centre, Enoch Jengre has entreated government to retool the Legal Aid Commission to enable it achieve its mandate of providing legal services, to the poor without hindrances.

He said the resourcing of the Commission will enhance justice delivery in the country especially in the era of the implementation of the Case Tracking System (CTS) which has been introduced to augment efficient justice delivery.

Speaking at a sensitization workshop in Tamale, Mr. Jengre noted that resourcing the Commission would attract more lawyers and other paralegal experts to the Commission. This he said will help reduce the delays in the prosecution of cases involving remand prison inmates and other suspects who are often denied the right to justice.

According to him, inadequate budgetary allocation, logistics and lawyers to enable the Commission to operate effectively and efficiently in the delivery of justice especially for the poor has caused frustration for many of such people.

The Rule of Law Specialist stated that the poor state of the Legal Aid Commission dents Ghana’s democratic credentials, as a chunk of the citizenry are unable to get representation in Court. “With more legal personnel and other essential things the Commission will be able to execute its mandate supporting many vulnerable and less privileged people in society,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief of Party for the JSSA, Ms. Daphne Lariba Nabila, has urged the security services especially the police to enhance its monitoring of the cases they prosecute using the CTS online portal.

USAID Justice Sector Support Activity

The USAID Justice Sector Support Activity is an intervention that seeks to reinforce efforts by the US Government to enhance Ghana’s justice delivery system by increasing Citizen Oversight and Monitoring of Criminal Cases, increasing citizen knowledge and access to Justice Sector services, and strengthening advocacy for accountability of key justice sector institutions for improved justice delivery in Ghana.