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Chief Justice Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkonoo has inaugurated 12 new special courts dedicated to handling small claims and debt recovery. Of these, eight are situated in the Greater Accra Region and four in the Ashanti Region.
This initiative arose from a notable increase in small claims cases at district courts across Ghana, largely driven by the activities of Bills MicroCredit. Justice Torkonoo highlighted that “over 70% of the total cases filed by Bills MicroCredit were for claims less than GHC 5,000.”
The surge in cases had significantly increased the workload of the already overwhelmed district courts, disrupting the court shift system introduced by the Judicial Service. To tackle this issue, the Judicial Service, with assistance from Bills MicroCredit, established these specialized courts to expedite the resolution of such cases.
The newly established courts will hold sessions every working day in the afternoons and on Saturdays. “For the Greater Accra Region, District Court, Ashaiman, District Court, Teshie, District Court, Kasoa, and District Court, La, will operate as the Saturday courts while District Court, Weija, District Court, Sowutuom, District Court ‘2’, Adenta, and District Court, Gbese will operate as the weekday afternoon courts,” Chief Justice Torkonoo announced at the court openings.
During the inauguration at the La District Court, Chief Justice Torkonoo expressed gratitude to Bills MicroCredit for their support in establishing the 12 new courts. Richard Quaye, CEO of Bills MicroCredit, acknowledged the significance of these courts, noting that they would greatly benefit their operations. “We have filed 30,000 cases nationwide, and one significant challenge has been the high volume of defaulters, which led us to seek expedited court hearings. The establishment of the new Small Claims Court will significantly alleviate the burden on our judicial system, ensuring faster and more efficient case resolutions,” Quaye remarked at the opening ceremony.
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