Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo has inaugurated 12 new courts specifically designed for small claims and debt recovery cases.
Eight of these courts are situated in the Greater Accra Region, while the remaining four are located in the Ashanti Region.
The creation of these courts comes in response to a noticeable increase in small claims cases, primarily driven by filings from Bills MicroCredit.
Justice Torkonoo highlighted that over 70% of the cases filed by Bills MicroCredit involved claims of less than GHC 5,000. This surge in small claims had significantly increased the workload for district courts, disrupting the court shift system introduced by the Judicial Service.
To alleviate this strain, the Judicial Service, with support from Bills MicroCredit, has established these specialized courts to handle and expedite these cases. The new courts will be operational every weekday afternoon and on Saturdays.
For the Greater Accra Region, the following district courts will operate on Saturdays: Ashaiman, Teshie, Kasoa, and La. The weekday afternoon sessions will be held at Weija, Sowutuom, Adenta, and Gbese.
At the opening ceremony, Chief Justice Torkonoo thanked Bills MicroCredit for their support in establishing these courts. Richard Quaye, CEO of Bills MicroCredit, expressed optimism that the new courts will significantly benefit their operations.
He noted that his company has filed approximately 30,000 cases nationwide and emphasized that the new Small Claims Courts will help resolve cases more swiftly and efficiently.
