A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court of Ghana has allowed 14 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to join the case of Adamtey v Attorney General, which is challenging the legality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The panel, led by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, approved the request after lawyer Kizito Beyuo argued that the CSOs have the experience and knowledge needed to help the court better understand the issues in the case.
The organisations joining the case include CDD-Ghana, Transparency International Ghana, IMANI Africa, Democracy Hub, STAR-Ghana Foundation, Penplusbytes, Africa Education Watch and several others.
According to their lawyer, these groups have spent many years working on issues related to good governance, accountability and the fight against corruption.
Because of this, he said their involvement in the case is important, especially since the outcome could affect Ghana’s anti-corruption system.
The main case was filed by a private citizen named Adamtey. He is asking the court to decide whether parts of the law that created the Office of the Special Prosecutor are in line with Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The OSP was set up under the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, especially those involving public officials and politically exposed persons.
Since it was created, the office has become one of Ghana’s leading anti-corruption institutions and has handled several major investigations and prosecutions.
The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the CSOs to join the case is expected to bring more public interest and wider legal arguments into the proceedings because many of these groups have long campaigned for stronger anti-corruption laws and greater accountability in Ghana.
The case has drawn a lot of public attention because the final ruling could affect the future role, powers and operations of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
