Justice Atuguba calls for support to make legal aid accessible to all
Accra, June 29, GNA - Justice William Atuguba, Chairman of the Board of the Ghana Legal Aid Scheme has called for maximum support to enable the Scheme to deliver justice and legal assistance to the down trodden in the society.
He noted that even though the Scheme had a lot to offer in justice delivery especially to the vulnerable in the society, it lacked basic equipment such as computers and the requisite personnel to discharge its duties efficiently.
Justice Atuguba made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra after students from Fondham Law School in the United States donated 10 desk top computers, 10 printers and two lap top computers to the Scheme.
The Board Chairman expressed regret that the Scheme which was set up under the 1992 Constitution was unable to deliver its mandate effectively due to a number of problems such as poor funding.
Justice Atuguba commended the staff of the Scheme for defying all odds to function even under minimal budgetary allocations.
“A lot needs to be done if the Scheme will be able to play its envisaged roles,” he stressed.
Justice Atuguba announced that plans were underway to organise a Legal Aid Week to educate the public on the functions of the Scheme to highlight the constraints it faced in delivering its duties.
He called on the media to collaborate with the Scheme to help educate the public on its activities.
Mr Al-hassan Yahaya Seini, Director of the Scheme said a large proportion of Ghana's population reside in the rural areas and are poor, illiterate and not better placed to benefit from legal support.
He said the Scheme was aimed at providing efficient and effective legal aid service to facilitate the enforcement of the Constitution and for the prosecution and defence of the human and legal rights of the poor and needy.
GNA