Scrap ‘Minister of Justice’ – Joe Ghartey

Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan Constituency Joseph Ghartey has suggested that the title of ‘Minister of Justice’ should be scrapped.

According to him, the title ‘Attorney General’ aptly describes the general role played by a person who occupy such a position.

“There is no where in the Constitution which says that there has to be a Minister of Justice in charge of certain aspect of justice in the country.”

Mr Ghartey, who is a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, made this suggestion on TV3’s Agenda on Thursday, March 19.

He was speaking on the debate whether to have the Attorney General’s Department decoupled from the Ministry of Justice or not.

“For me one of the first things we can do very easily is to take away the title ‘Minister of Justice’,” he suggested.

“It will clear a lot of confusion because when people hear that, they think that the Attorney General has some influence on justice.”

The debate over the two offices has become a matter of public discourse after businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome won a criminal suit at an Accra High Court over the state.

He was freed of all charges.

Jurisprudential issues

Mr Ghartey’s co-panellist, Nana Ato Dadzie, also a lawyer, called on Ghanaians to exercise patience over the issue as it has been captured in the submissions of the Constitutional Review and Implementation Committee.

It is not all that easy, Nana Ato Dadzie observed.

“These are jurisprudential issues, matters belonging to the philosophy and our own way of looking at things…there are massive issues that should be looked at collectively.”

The Chief of Staff during the Rawlings regime said calls for the separation of the two offices should not be made because of the judgement of Mr Woyome.

“[The state attorneys] are under no obligation to win all cases. Their duty is to work hard and present the case to the court.”

Nana Ato Dadzie, however, called for the devolution of the powers of the Attorney General to state agencies such as the police.