The Judicial Service of Ghana has extended its nationwide outreach programme to the Ellembelle District as part of its vision of building the pillars of justice in the quest to sensitize the citizenry. The outreach programme is also to strengthen the justice delivery system for a holistic society. The legal outreach programme which was under the auspices of Her Ladyship, the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, was on the theme, 'Improving Justice Delivery Through Community Engagement.'  It brought together legal practitioners, politicians, the Clergy, traditional rulers, school children, the media, and a cross-section of the public. Speaking on the topic, 'Land Acquisition in Ghana: The Processes and All You Need to Know' at Ampain in the Western Region, a Justice at the High Court, Her Ladyship, Justice Abena Oppong stressed the need for due diligence before land acquisition to avoid litigations.  She reminded chiefs, queen mothers and family heads who sold lands to establish a Customary La nd Secretariat to record and document all land transactions. Her Ladyship Justice Oppong identified issues militating against land acquisition as the presence of land guards, multiple land sales, illegal sale of land and land tenure.  She advised prospective landowners to undergo all the steps in the acquisition of land to avoid every bottleneck and acquire genuine land. Her Ladyship Justice Oppong said such infractions in land transactions were crimes tantamount to court fines and imprisonment.  She appealed to would-be owners of land to do thorough investigations by demanding evidence of land title registration documents, such as site plans from landlords before purchasing such properties.  A legal practitioner and member of the Judicial Outreach Programme, Mr Dickson Tweneboah Koduah who spoke on 'Place and Types of Marriage, Inheritance, Probate, Wills, Breach of Promise to Marry,' said per the PNDC Law 111, known as the Intestate Succession Law, written Wills stipulated how properties of deceased we re shared which must be strictly adhered to. He explained that in lieu of Wills, claimants would have to file an ex-parte application for letters of administration in court.  Mr Tweneboah Koduah said spousal property was only what the two acquired during marriage but not property before the marriage, adding that even in concubinage, the acquired property must be shared among the spouses involved.  Mr Tweneboah Koduah said broken promises on would-be spouses who had committed themselves to get married, could be sued in court for compensation. The legal luminary said it was high time Parliament ratified the law on marriage and spousal property to streamline the marital institution.  Mr Samuel Alibi, the Ellembelle District Director at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), who spoke on the Exposition on Civic Rights and Responsibilities of Every Citizen, urged Ghanaians to know their rights and civic duties and contribute meaningfully to nation-building.  He reminded Ghanaians that it was the ir civic duty to vote in the upcoming general elections.  Earlier in a welcoming address, Mr Kwasi Bonzoh, the District Chief Executive for Ellembelle, said ignorance of the law was no excuse and thanked the Judicial Service of Ghana for the outreach programme.  He advised the people to take advantage of the programme and respect the law, saying Ellembelle was a very peaceful and fastest-growing District in the Western Region. The programme was ably coordinated by the Ellembelle District Magistrate, Her Worship Awo Amissah French.  The Judicial outreach programme started in 2015 and had engaged areas like Sefwi-Wiawso, Bono, Prampram and Axim.  Source: Ghana News Agency