Kwesi Pratt Junior, managing editor of the Insight Newspaper has charged the Ghana Judiciary Service to fast-track litigations to save time and cost. According to him, the country’s legal process is time-consuming and drains financial resources.
“Litigation in Ghana is excessively slow. I know libel cases which have lasted in the courts for more than two years. So if you are defamed and you file for libel, you can actually be going to court for two years or more” he said on Good Morning Ghana to counter Eugene Boakye Antwi’s, a co-pundit, suggestion.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin Constituency during his submission urged the General Secretary of NPP, John Boadu, to seek legal redress on accusations he’s into illegal mining which has been banned by the President, Nana Akufo Addo.
But Mr. Pratt advised against arguing the country’s court procedures are energy-sapping and financially consuming.
He said the litigants can be summoned to court in a mind-blowing number of times that has a severe effect on productivity.
“Imagine the General Secretary of the ruling party having to go to court even ten times in a year virtually once every month. And a court sitting can last for three hours. That’s a lot of time and then also it takes a lot of resources to litigate in our courts.”
“You’ve got to pay lawyers and so on. The bottom line is, usually, the release which I saw had to do with the retraction of the allegation i.e. a restraining order not to repeat the injurious statement, and finally, some compensation. Now, what are you going to get when you take a man of straw or a woman of straw to court and the court decides to award damages of GH¢1m. The guy is bankrupt, so, all the two years of litigation would become waste” he noted.
Kwesi Pratt stressed that he understands why businessmen are not motivated to address their grievances in court stating it takes the litigant’s focus from important issues that border on their daily progress.
By: Ernest Tetteh Kabu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
