Judge expresses concern about increasing land cases in Upper West Region
The Supervising High Court Judge of the Wa High Court, His Lordship Justice Alhaji Abdul Yusif Asibey, has expressed concern about the numerous land litigation cases pending before the court.
He has therefore called on the regional House of Chiefs to up their game to stem the phenomenon which involves a lot of resources from the parties.
He said about 90 per cent of the cases pending before the High Court were about ownership of land and expressed concern about the amount of resources parties expended on these litigations.
Justice Alhaji Asibey raised the concern at the second general meeting of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs held in Wa.
He said the amount parties were ready and prepared to pay for the preparation and submission to court of composite plans of the disputed land by the Survey and Mapping Unit of the Lands Commission was a source of worry.
“A recent case that was referred to the Survey Unit for their composite plan attracted a fee of a whopping GH¢50,000.00 from each party in the suit.
“In yet another case, parties were to pay GH¢10,000.00 each, and before the Surveyor could even announce the fees to be paid in court, one of the parties had already paid the fees being charged to the Lands Commission”, Justice Alhaji Asibey said.
Justice Alhaji Asibey said the parties spent many years in litigation and that some of the cases had been pending in court for more than 10 years, with a few close to 20 years.
The Supervising High Court Judge entreated the chiefs to help address land litigations in their communities while they should also put in place measures to resort to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which he said was cheaper and affordable.
The occasion was also used to swear the newly enskinned Nandom-Naa, Naa Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle Chiir VIII as a member of the House.
Naa Professor Chiir was one time a National Chairman and a presidential candidate of the CPP.
He is also the owner of the Rabito Hospital in Wa and branches across the country.
Source: GNA