Justice Bartels-Kodwo advocates for a more comprehensive approach in Ghana's justice system

Supreme Court nominee, Justice Janapare Adzua Bartels-Kodwo, has sparked debates following her assertion that establishing more courts is not the panacea for Ghana's justice delivery challenges, with the belief that building more courtrooms will solve the persistent backlog of cases in Ghana's judicial system.

In her view, the root causes of delays in the justice system run much deeper.

Justice Bartels-Kodwo argued that the core challenges affecting timely justice delivery are rooted in systemic inefficiencies, not inadequate courtroom infrastructure.

She said this when she appeared before Parliament’s Appointments Committee (PAC) on Tuesday, June 17, according to a report by citinewsroom.com.

She stated that the current judicial setup already has sufficient space to handle small claims and similar cases.

"If we are just talking about more claims courts, I believe that the courts as we have it now, we have the space for those small claims, and setting up more courts in my view respectfully will not solve the problem of cases not moving fast," she said.

Rather than merely increasing the number of courts, Justice Bartels-Kodwo advocates for a more comprehensive approach.

Her stance differs from that of fellow Supreme Court nominee, Justice Senyo Dzamefe, who appeared before the committee two days earlier and advocated for an expansion of court infrastructure alongside technology upgrades to fast-track case resolution.

NAD/AE

Meanwhile, watch as victims of the June 3 disaster decry 10 years of neglect by the state: