Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has expressed dismay over the infrastructural and logistic challenges faced by his ministry, including state attorneys operating from shipping containers.
Speaking at the commissioning of a 12-storey building named The Law House, which will serve as the new Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice in Accra, Mr. Dame described the previous conditions as deplorable and unacceptable.
“I considered it very deplorable. I deem it unacceptable for attorneys who assist important institutions of state navigate the myriad of legal challenges they are confronted with, and some of whom were Ivy League Scholars to be using containers as their offices.”
“I daresay that the era where regional offices of the Office of the Attorney and Ministry of Justice and other agencies of the Ministry perch in the corner of buildings belonging to other government institutions or were sometimes thrown out of premises in which they are licensees should be over soon,” he said.
He emphasized the need for every regional office of the Ministry of Justice to own at least a three-storey office, indicating discussions with the World Bank for possible funding of such projects.
The Attorney General also pledged efforts to secure funding for a modern permanent office for the Legal Aid Commission, and announced plans to relinquish the use of the former office block for the Commission’s use.
Mr. Dame highlighted the ministry’s focus on enhancing the litigating capacity of attorneys, particularly in civil litigation, international arbitration, and cases in foreign courts and tribunals. He noted that Ghana has emerged victorious in all international arbitration cases in recent years.
The commissioning of The Law House marks the beginning of a digitized working environment for the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, with the operationalization of the Integrated Information Management System to reduce paper clutter and improve efficiency.
President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr. Yaw Boafo, commended the investment in The Law House, calling for similar infrastructure in regions and districts. He emphasized the need for more attorneys to handle prosecutorial functions currently undertaken by the police, suggesting that this would lead to more positive outcomes in legal matters.
Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo also called for the replication of similar edifices across the country to improve the working conditions of legal professionals.