Chiefs must be involved in arbitration system to facilitate justice – Osei Owusu

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti region, Joseph Osei Owusu has suggested for the training of traditional rulers to be part in Arbitration system to facilitate justice delivery.

According to him, traditional rulers play key roles in adjudicating cases and their involvement will complement the justice system, if they are well trained in arbitration system and that will reduce the work load of the Judiciary.

He made the suggesting when he was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of a 2-day seminar organized by the Ghana Arbitration Dispute Resolution (ADR) Hub on Arbitration Advocacy for Lawyers, Judges and other professionals in Arbitration Practices, held at the Institute of Distance Learning Conference Center at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science of technology (KNUST), on Thursday January 18, 2018.

The program was graced by the Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof. Akwasi Obiri Danso, and the Supervisor High Court Judge, Mr. Nicholas Abodakpi.

Hon. Osei Owusu believed if they are involved in ADR it will reduce the delay of justice delivery in the country.

“I visited one Chief in the morning around 10am and there were more than hundred people in the palace to settle their disputes so I suggest that Chiefs are another group in the country who settle disputes in a peaceful manner so the ADR should engage them and train them in the arbitration system to reduce the work load of the Judiciary," he advocated.

He also said the Judicial system of settling disputes take a long procedure which call for a lot of documentations but the procedures traditional rulers use to settle disputes do not need documentation, but problems are solved amicably.

“There are a lot of processes in the court system and all need to be on papers. Though the former structures cannot be changed because of the law so the alternative way that can be done informally without papers should be adopted, “he observed.

The President of Ghana Arbitration Dispute Resolution (ADR) Hub, Mr. Michael Gyang Owusu said they are embarking on such programs to promote the government’s agenda to ensure that Alternative Dispute Resolution is advanced in the country.