Prosecution Of Cases Should Be Handled By An Independent Body � Ace Ankomah

An Accra-based legal practitioner, Ace Ankomah, has opined that the prosecution of cases and preferring charges against offending individuals should not fall under the purview of the Executive but should be handed over to �an independent prosecutor who would not take instructions from government.� According to him, implementing such an idea will ensure more sanity in the adjudication of cases. Speaking in an interview with Tweneboah Koduah, sit-in host for Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM�s �Kokrokoo�, the legal luminary pointed out that it was so in the past before it was amended to its current state. Lawyer Ace Ankomah further stated that though the constitutional review idea was welcome, there was the need to have a national debate on the issue. He said many concerns have been raised regarding the constitution, covering a wide range of issues. �Some have raised concern for instance as to whether state ministers should be elected from parliament as it is done in the United Kingdom and in most European countries�though some clauses of the constitution were amended in 1996, which required only parliament to do so, the entrenched parts would require a referendum,� he pointed out. For instance, he said, �in 1996 the constitution was amended, which saw the Vice President being removed from many constituted councils.� The Constitution has served 17 years of Ghana�s young democracy in the Fourth Republic, after years of military take overs. The review of the 1992 Constitution was a major talking point in the 2008 general elections with all the parties pledging to review certain provisions in the binding document they thought was counter-productive to the country�s development. Key among the controversial provisions is Article 78 Clause 1 (which requires that the majority of the President�s ministers be appointed from among members of Parliament), as well as separating the position of the Minister of Justice from that of the Attorney General. The law lecturer was optimistic that the views of the well-meaning Ghanaians will be tolerated to ensure a successful exercise. �Commission will hold meetings and before you realize, whether it suits your interest or not, a sweeping reform is accepted�.there was this debate on the duration of the SHS�discussions will still on-going, then we were told gov�t has already taken a stance and made a decision as well. When such incidences occur, people lose interest and see the whole discussions as a waste of time�But since this is the constitution, Ghanaians will not allow any white-washing of events�,� he stated. President Mills on Monday inaugurated a nine member Constitutional Review Commission, to review the current 1992 Constitution. It is under the Chairmanship of Professor Albert Fiadjoe, an Emeritus Professor of law at the University of West Indies. The Commission would operate as a quasi-judicial body for 12months, or not for more than 18months.