Kumasi, Sept. 29, GNA - Chief Justice (CJ), Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, has urged the Judicial Service to create a more transparent and friendly environment for people seeking justice. She asked employees of the Service not to make it difficult for those who have been wronged to have access to legal protection. The Chief Justice was addressing a durbar on the 52nd Legal Year Anniversary organised by the Service, on the theme: "Access to Justice, a Collective Responsibility towards Accountability and Transparency, a Shared Responsibility", at the forecourt of the Appeal Court in Kumasi. Activities lined up for the week-long celebration included a conference of Judges and Magistrates, meeting of the Ghana Bar Association, call of newly qualified lawyers to the Bar and a thanksgiving service.

Mrs Wood said it was totally unacceptable for any worker of the Service to attempt to frustrate those in need of justice and "they should rather accept the responsibility of helping those in desperate search for fair hearing by the courts to get just that." She said the Service must be receptive especially to the vulnerable who require legal aid.

The Chief Justice said that delivering justice is a shared duty by the entire Judicial Service and should not be left to only Judges and Magistrates alone. She said the Service must work hard to build the trust of Ghanaians in the judicial system and win the confidence of investors and ensure efficient use of resources. Mr Justice Anin Yeboah, a Supreme Court Judge, assured the workers of the Service that everything possible was being done to improve their conditions of service.

Mr Justice Alex Berchie Opoku Acheampong, the Judicial Secretary, called on the media to report court proceedings accurately so as to build public confidence in the Judiciary and stop people from taking the law into their own hands. Mr Justice Frank Amoah, the Supervising High Court Judge in Kumasi, encouraged the workers not to hesitate to offer suggestions towards the improvement of the Service.