UNDP presents equipment to Legal Aid Scheme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has presented office equipment, furniture and various items to the Ghana Legal Aid Scheme at a ceremony in Kumasi.
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The $300,000 worth of equipment, included 80 office computers and laptops with accessories, 28 photocopiers, 31 printers, 20 scanners, 51 hard drives, 72 UPS, 20 motorcycles, and 90 office desks and tables.
The rest were 200 office chairs, 25 mediation tables, 160 chairs and 69 benches for clients.
Making the presentation, Mr Dominic Sam, the UNDP Country Director, said the items were to support the government to open 16 district offices for the scheme in addition to those in the 10 regional capitals.
He said the rule of law fostered peace, economic and social transformation through justice and security, further enhanced communication, and bound districts, regions and the country together.
Mr Sam said where the rule of law broke down, tyranny, poverty and instability prevailed.
“The rule of law cannot be a commodity that is available to only those who can afford to pay for it,” he said and, therefore, called for all to ensure that justice was available to all in the country.
A Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice William Atuguba, who chaired the function, challenged all Ghanaians to make sure that the laws in the country were obeyed and followed.
He said poverty should not be a barrier to justice since every Ghanaian had a share or a stake in the development or the wealth of the nation, and added that there was the need for the Legal Aid Scheme to be given the needed support to function effectively.
The Director of the Legal Aid Scheme, Mr Yahaya Al-hassan Seini, said the scheme was provided by the Constitution to assist persons who sought to defend or protect the Constitution and those who could not afford the services of a lawyer.
He commended the UNDP for its support which had eased the burden of the institution and also facilitated the operations of staff members.
A Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, who was the guest speaker, said aside the mainstream legal system, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was one of the methods recognised under the legal system for dispute resolution.
He said the government had decided to create a Directorate of Public Defence, as well as Citizens Advisory Bureaux, to give free legal advice to Ghanaians and broaden access of the poor to legal aid at all levels, especially at the district level.
He pledged the government’s commitment to ensuring that the Legal Aid Scheme was supported for efficient delivery of service to Ghanaians.