Amend constitution to allow election of AG, Special Prosecutor – UG Law Lecturer

Lecturer at the University of Ghana Law School, Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee, is advocating a constitutional amendment that would require the position of an Attorney General and Special Prosecutor to be elected.

Mrs Kasser-Tee says the inability of Attorney Generals in the past to defend the state against judgement debts is because of their allegiance to the President and the governing party.

There have been various suggestions over the years regarding how to make the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General effective.

Some have suggested decoupling the Justice Ministry from the AG’s office. The Governing NPP prior to the 2016 polls pledged to deal with this thorny issue of having an Independent Prosecutorial office by setting up the Office of Special Prosecutor.

This has since been done. Speaking at the 6th Kwadwo Baah Wiredu Memorial Lecture held in Accra yesterday Mrs, Kasser-Tee said making the positions elective will improve accountability.

“We make the position of the Attorney General and Special Prosecutor elected positions rather than appointed positions. The role of prosecution and initiation of civil proceedings on behalf of the state can be performed by the elected official who will be accountable directly to the Ghanaian people.

“It is time to have an Attorney General who answer directly to the Ghanaian people and we do not have to worry that we have judgements debt that look like judgment debts but in reality are just payments from the public purse to party financiers.”

The Lecture organized by the Chief Policy Analyst at the Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey is to celebrate Former Finance Minister Kwadwo Baah Wiredu who died in 2008.

Dr Wereko Brobby told the gathering Mr Baah Wiredu’s unwavering stance on corruption must guide all public officers.