Ghana’s antiquated legal system has drawn criticism from Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, the chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee, who claims that it is insufficient to successfully fight corruption in the present era.
As a reviewer at the 5th Constitution Day Public Lecture, which was given by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng and had as its theme “A Few Good Men: Suppressing and Repressing Corruption and State Capture in Aid of Development,” Prof. Prempeh emphasized the pressing need for legal changes to bolster anti-corruption initiatives.
He noted that Ghana’s legal institutions and doctrines are antiquated, making it challenging to confront corruption’s changing character, even while the current constitution acknowledges that it offers certain tools for combating corruption.
“There are some tools in the constitution even as we find it today. The constitution is not perfect, but it does have something in there that can be the basis of a credible fight against corruption,” he stated.
He did, however, emphasize the necessity of legal innovation, pointing out that antiquated laws are insufficient to combat corruption in the modern world.
“I think our legal institutions, including our legal doctrines, are way too archaic for the time. We must embrace a lot of legal innovation because corruption mutates day by day. In developed countries, the laws are changing from time to time to tackle corruption, and we are relying on 1962 laws to fight. It is not fit for purpose,” he added.
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