According to a Court of Appeal judge, Mr Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei, although the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism allowed chiefs to mediate in some legal cases, not all cases were permitted by law to be resolved under the ADR system.

Cases such as rape, defilement, robbery, murder and narcotics, he said, did not fall under the ADR system.

“The law does not permit out-of-court settlement for these cases. When such matters are before the courts, we urge  traditional rulers not to ask the courts to allow them to go and settle such cases,’’ he said.

Court complex

The complex houses two courtrooms, offices for judges, cells for female and male accused persons, a prosecution office, a lawyer/client room, among other facilities.

The construction of the complex began in January 2015 and was completed in September last year.

It was built at a cost of GH¢916,217, with funding from the World Bank under its urban development grant project.

Prior to the construction of the court complex, the Ga South Municipal Assembly rented a building as a district court in the municipality.

Mr Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei, Court of Appeal’s Judge addressing the participants at the ceremony. PICTURE: PATRICK DICKSON

Justice

Mr Justice Adjei, who represented the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, at the inauguration ceremony, said the new court complex would further improve the administration of justice in the municipality and surrounding areas.

He noted that the Local Government Act required that district assemblies provide district courts in their areas, adding that “the Chief Justice is, therefore, grateful to the chiefs and people of Oblogo and the Ga South Municipal Assembly for this beautiful edifice’’.

He stated that the importance of law courts in the democratic dispensation of the country could not be underestimated, noting that apart from deepening the rule of law, law courts also ensured that the rights and freedoms of individuals were not violated.