The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (CCJ) has opened its first External Court Session in Accra, Ghana in its bid to foster regional integration.
The President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Edward Asante, said on Monday in Accra that the essence of the programme was to bring justice to the common man at the community’s grassroots.
He explained that the programme was especially for indigent citizens, who could not afford the cost and logistics of travelling to the seat of the court in Abuja, Nigeria to access justice.
“The session avails the court of the opportunity for judicial dialogue with national courts of member states and exposes lawyers and community citizens to the practice and procedure of a regional international court.
“It also enables the court to engage with high political authorities of the host member state and serves as a citizen outreach opportunity for the court on its competence, mandate as well as practice and procedure of the court.
“Article 26 (2) of the 1991 protocol of the court, allows the court to undertake such sessions in the territory of member state outside the headquarters of the court,” he said.
He also said that where circumstances or facts of the case so demand and based on an order of the court convened by its President.
The Communications Division of the ECOWAS Court quoted Asante as saying on Monday that similar sessions had been held in Niamey, Ouagadougou, Porto-Novo, Ibadan (Nigeria), Lome, Guinea Bissau, Abidjan (twice) and Bamako.
It added that the session could not be held in 2019 and 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the Court was compelled to integrate remote hearings for cases, including the external session.
GIK/APA