Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has identified housing as one of the most pressing challenges confronting the judiciary.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the Judicial Service Staff Co-operative Union, he noted that many judicial officers and staff struggle to secure affordable accommodation, with some even forced to rent homes owned by individuals who have cases pending before the courts.

According to him, this situation undermines the effective performance of judicial duties.

“You will realise that in most cases when courts are built, they build the residences of the judge or the magistrates, forgetting that apart from the judge or magistrate, there are going to be more than 20 other persons working there.

“So you will find registrars and court clerks posted to areas where they can’t even have access to accommodation. They live in houses owned by persons who turn out to be litigants in their courts, and it becomes a very difficult situation,” he stated.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie therefore commended JUSAG for acquiring 2,000 acres of land at Kordiabe in the Shai Osudoku District for the Judicial City Estates project.

“The project speaks directly to one of my key priorities, the welfare of staff and judicial officers. Access to affordable housing is a fundamental need, and the vision to support members with land is truly remarkable,” he said.