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Crime & Punishment of Friday, 7 December 2007

Source: GNA

Chief Justice orders squatters around court premises to move

Ejisu (Ash), Dec 7, GNA- The Chief Justice, Mrs Theodora Georgina Woode, on Thursday ordered all traders squatting around the Magistrates' court at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, to move with immediate effect to restore the court's serene and decent environment.

The Chief Justice, who was at Ejisu as part of a duty tour of the Region, gave the order after a brief closed-door meeting with the judicial staff working at the court.

Deliberations of the meeting, was however not disclosed to the media. Mrs Woode, who was visibly not happy about the noisy environment around the court, which had been dotted with kiosks, tables and other structures, warned that failure to comply with the order would be followed by a demolition exercise to clear the precincts of all such structures.

She said it was illegal to trade or make noise around court premises, which are supposed to be absolutely quiet to facilitate smooth adjudication.

Ghana News Agency investigations later revealed that the traders, some of whom sell cooked food, confectionery and alcoholic drinks among others, had been there for more than eight years despite earlier warnings to them to quit the place.