Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo has inaugurated a new system of specialized courts designed to expedite handling small claims and debt recovery cases.
The initiative, officially launched on Tuesday, aims to address the growing backlog of claims in district courts across Ghana, particularly those involving financial institutions.
The new courts, totalling twelve, will be distributed across the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.
In the Greater Accra Region, eight district courts—Ashaiman, Teshie, La, Weija, Sowutuom, Adenta, and Gbese will be dedicated to these cases—will be devoted to these cases.
Meanwhile, four courts in the Ashanti Region—District Court ‘2’ in Asokwa, District Court’ 1‘ at Prempeh Assembly Hall, Circuit Court’ 2‘ in Asokwa, and Asokwa Circuit Court Conference Hall—will also focus on small claims and debt recovery.
Chief Justice Torkornoo’s decision, a significant step in addressing the issue, follows a recent assessment revealing a significant caseload in district courts.
The Quality Assurance Unit and the Monitoring Department of the Judicial Service, through their regular assessments, found that as of May 2024, there were 773 active cases at Adenta District Courts 1 and 2 alone. This data was instrumental in Chief Justice Torkornoo’s decision to establish these specialized courts.
Notably, Quick Credit & Investment Micro-Credit Ltd (now Bills Company Limited) had filed 120 cases, constituting approximately 15% of the total. Over 70% of these cases involved claims of less than GH₵5,000.
“These specialized courts will provide an efficient forum for resolving these disputes,“ Chief Justice Torkornoo said during the launch.
“They will operate on weekday afternoons from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm and on Saturdays from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.“
This schedule is intended to bring relief to the growing cases and reduce the delays impacting claimants.
The Saturday court sessions will cater to significant numbers of cases from national agencies, such as the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), which frequently handles large volumes of claims.
Individuals or institutions wishing to file a case in these specialized courts will follow a streamlined process, which will be detailed on the Judicial Service’s website and at the respective court premises.
This will ensure a smooth transition to the new system and help manage the increasing number of small claims from various financial institutions.
“We anticipate that this initiative will address the pressing issue of the nearly 55,000 claims that Quick Credit & Investment Micro-Credit Ltd alone intends to file in the lower courts,“ Chief Justice Torkornoo noted.
“While Quick Credit’s caseload may have spurred this initiative, these courts will serve all financial institutions to prevent the erosion of the time value of liquidated claims due to court delays.”
The launch of these specialized courts marks a significant step in enhancing the efficiency of the judicial process in Ghana.
They aim to provide timely resolutions to small claims and debt recovery cases across the nation.
