Security at Supreme Court causes distress to litigants (Front page)

The stringent security measures adopted by the police at the Supreme Court to prevent party sympathisers from invading the court yesterday caused some distress to litigants in other courts.



Ghana's Supreme Court

 

As of 9.30 a.m., litigants with cases at the Fast Track High Court, the Human Rights Court and the Commercial Court were stranded at the gates as policemen demanded some form of identification from them before allowing them entry into the premises of the courts.

It took the efforts of some lawyers to rescue their clients who were refused entry into the court premises.

stranded litigants at the entrance of the courts

The tight security became necessary because of reports that some individuals purported to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had carried canes to the precincts of the Supreme Court during its sitting last week.

At some moments, the police and the security men of the Judicial Service used dressing codes to determine who should be allowed entry into the Supreme Court premises.

For instance, at the gate close to the Ghana Library Board, people in jeans, T-shirts and sandals were not allowed entry.

Mr Michael Owiredu, who claimed to have a case in one of the Fast Track High courts, poured out his frustrations to the Daily Graphic.

“The fact that the NPP and the NDC have a case here does not mean other courts are not sitting. I have spent close to 30 minutes just trying to enter the courts. This is not fair,” he said.

A man who gave his name only as Yaw expressed a similar sentiment. 

“We are equally important as the two parties. I hear the case could be heard every day until the end. Does it mean that we will be subjected to this delay every day?” he asked.

But security officials were tight-lipped on the concerns of the litigants.

A few curious people and journalists without accreditation who managed to enter the premises were denied entry into the Supreme Court building. Rather, they were confined to the car park of the courts.

Armed police ready for trouble makers

Security was very tight, as heavily armed policemen stood at vantage points near the courts.

Police armoured vehicles were positioned at all entrances to the courts, with barriers erected close to the gates of the old Parliament House.

Some policemen armed with pepper spray and stun gun-- an electro shock weapon, and guns lined the High Street and would not allow anyone to use the pavements close to the main entrance of the court.

The Ghana School of Law, which shares a wall with the courts, was not left out of the scheme of things, as stone-faced policemen, numbering close to 20, maintained their presence at the entrance to and the compound of the school, refusing access to people without any form of identification.

A patrol vehicle carrying armed policemen was also on duty to occasionally patrol the streets from the Electricity Company of Ghana to the Rawlings Park on the look out for troublemakers. 

The tense atmosphere notwithstanding, pockets of restless people gathered at different locations to discuss possible outcomes of the case in which the NPP is challenging the results of the December 7 presidential poll.