National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has called for a constitutional amendment to separate the functions of the Attorney-General from those of the Minister for Justice, describing the current arrangement as a major impediment to Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.
Addressing participants at an Anti-Corruption Summit in Accra on Thursday, Mr. Asiedu Nketia criticised the legal framework that assigns both roles to a single officeholder. According to him, the existing structure undermines prosecutorial independence and allows potential conflicts of interest to go unchecked.
He explained that while the Attorney-General is expected to act as the government’s principal prosecutor, the concurrent role as Minister for Justice places that same person at the heart of policy-making within Cabinet—making it difficult to take impartial legal action against fellow Cabinet members when misconduct arises.
“In combining these two roles, we have essentially created a situation where the person who should be pursuing justice is also deeply embedded in political decision-making,” he noted. “It becomes almost impossible for such an official to objectively prosecute colleagues within the executive.”
Asiedu Nketia argued that separating the two roles would lead to greater transparency and strengthen the rule of law. He stressed that an independent Attorney-General, free from Cabinet obligations, would be better positioned to investigate and prosecute public officials without political interference.
He appealed to the Constitutional Review Committee to take up the matter as a priority, stating that the change is necessary for enhancing accountability, restoring public faith in the justice system, and building stronger democratic institutions.
, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has called for a constitutional amendment to separate the functions of the Attorney-General from those of the Minister for Justice, describing the current arrangement as a major impediment to Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.){kind=link}