The 14 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), which expressed interest to join the case in which the prosecutorial capacity of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is being challenged, have commended the Supreme Court for granting their application to participate in the case.
They noted that the approval allowed them to present their considered views on the history of ongoing civic advocacy, policy deliberations, and legislative processes that led to the creation of the OSP.
A private citizen, Adamtey in the case of Adamtey v Attorney-General, is among others, challenging the legal capacity of the OSP to prosecute.
In a press statement issued yesterday and signed by Mr Daniel Selormey, Assistant Communication Specialist of CDD-Ghana, it was stated that their application was approved to intervene as amicus curiae in the ongoing case questioning the constitutionality of aspects of the OSP Act, 2017 (Act 959).
“The grant of leave to intervene in the matter also permits us to draw the Court’s attention to broader international best practices and comparative case law on prosecutorial powers, as well as the practical impacts of the case on the fight against corruption. We thank the Supreme Court for granting leave and acknowledge the Attorney-General’s decision not to oppose our application to intervene,” the statement indicated.
The statement said that the CSOs looked forward to assisting the Court in addressing pertinent questions to shape Ghana’s anti-corruption framework for future generations.
A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, chaired by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, on Tuesday granted an application by the CSOs seeking to join the case of Adamtey v Attorney-General, which questions the constitutionality of the OSP.
The panel approved the application after counsel for the applicants, KizitoBeyuo, argued that the CSOs possessed relevant expertise and institutional knowledge that could aid the Court in deciding on the matter.
The CSOs include Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), IMANI Africa, and Transparency International, along with their legal team argued that their involvement was crucial, given their role in the creation of the OSP and the case’s potential to significantly impact Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.
Other participating organisations were Democracy Hub, STAR-Ghana Foundation, NORSAAC, Penplusbytes, ACEP, Odekro, A Rocha Ghana, Parliamentary Network Africa, One Ghana Movement, and Africa Education Watch.
According to their counsel, these organisations are independent entities with longstanding interests in governance, accountability, and anti-corruption issues, making their participation essential given the case’s far-reaching implications for Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture.
The substantive case, filed by private citizen Adamtey, challenges the constitutional validity of the OSP, an independent anti-corruption agency established under the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The plaintiff questions whether certain aspects of the OSP’s establishment and operational framework are consistent with the 1992 Constitution.
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