Court of Appeal Justice and Supreme Court nominee, Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, has made a passionate appeal for immediate investment in Ghana’s judicial digital infrastructure, warning that outdated technology and inconsistent systems are undermining the delivery of justice.
Speaking during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, Justice Adjei said the current systems in place fall significantly short of supporting the judiciary’s long-term E-Justice ambitions.
“We began with the Scopist system, expecting it to accelerate our processes. However, at a certain point, we realised the Scopist workflow was not progressing as anticipated,” he explained.
He noted that subsequent attempts to introduce automation faced major setbacks.
“When automation was introduced, unexpected issues arose: lights would go off, and court proceedings would come to a standstill,” Justice Adjei stated.
Highlighting the limitations of the current setup, he stressed, “E-Justice cannot be realised without a reliable internet connection.”
Justice Adjei walked the committee through the phased approach Ghana’s Judiciary had adopted for digitisation: starting with the E-Portal for public access to court information, followed by E-Forms (downloadable court forms), and then E-Filing, which allows for the online submission of legal documents.
However, he admitted that progress had stalled.
“We have been discussing E-Justice and the full implementation of the E-8 components, but in my opinion, we have not even fully achieved two of them,” he lamented.
According to Justice Adjei, a critical next step is the implementation of E-Case Distribution, a system that would automate the assignment of cases and reduce human intervention, thereby enhancing transparency and efficiency.
“To move forward, we need substantial funding to overhaul the Judiciary’s digital infrastructure. Only then can we effectively utilise technology to dispose of cases more efficiently,” he said.
Justice Adjei concluded by reiterating the shared ambition among judges to see a fully digital and efficient court system.
“It is, I believe, the wish of every judge that the courts be fully equipped with all components of the E-8 system.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Benjamin Sackey
