CJ Rebukes Court Registrars For Extortion

The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, has sternly rebuked registrars and other court officials who allegedly collect huge sums of money from litigants under the pretext of preparing records for them or performing other services for which they are not supposed to charge. She said under no circumstance should any registrar or court official demand money from any person to prepare appeal records or perform other legal services. In a statement signed by Mrs Grace Tagoe, the Director of Communications, and issued by the Judicial Service, Mrs Justice Wood, advised the public to only pay the approved fees, for which they must demand receipts. �So under no circumstance should anybody pay moneys to individuals within the premises of the courts, apart from the HFC Bank and other banks authorized to collect moneys on behalf of the Judicial Service,� the statement said. To facilitate the preparation of appeal and other records, particularly in Accra, it said a heavy duty photocopying facility had been set up within the Land Court building to serve the needs of court users. The statement urged the public to report whatever complaints they might have to the Complaints Unit or the Office of the Chief Justice.