The Supreme Court has directed the Attorney-General to produce the complete agreement between the Government of Ghana and the United States regarding the acceptance of deportees to Democracy Hub, allowing private inspection by lawyers representing the pressure group.
The apex court’s directive aims to ensure transparency in the matter. Previously, the Court had given both parties a two-week deadline to submit written arguments on whether the document should be made public for scrutiny.
The decision came after deliberations on whether the deal, widely reported in the media, constitutes a binding international arrangement that requires parliamentary oversight and public accountability. The
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney-General, informed the court that the dispute originates from press reports rather than a publicly available treaty text, which the judges believed highlighted the necessity of accessing the actual agreement.
The lawsuit was initiated following President John Mahama’s acknowledgment of Ghana’s participation in a US-led initiative to accept deported West African migrants, sparking public debate and legal scrutiny.
The matter at hand is whether the arrangement, referred to by government ministers as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) rather than a formal treaty, constitutes an international commitment that necessitates parliamentary approval under Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
