The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed a lawsuit filed by policy think tank IMANI Ghana challenging the President’s authority to appoint and remove heads of key security agencies, ruling that the action lacked merit.
The case sought to contest the President’s power to appoint the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, the Chief Fire Officer, and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
Delivering its judgment, a seven-member panel of the apex court, chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, held that the President’s authority to appoint the IGP and the Director-General of Prisons is firmly grounded in the 1992 Constitution.
The court further ruled that the appointments of the Chief Fire Officer and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service are governed by existing statutory provisions, which also vest the appointing authority in the President.
The justices concluded that IMANI Ghana had failed to establish any constitutional or legal basis for its challenge and consequently dismissed the suit in its entirety.
The ruling affirms the President’s powers regarding the appointment and removal of heads of the country’s major security institutions and brings to an end the legal challenge mounted by the policy advocacy organization.
The judgment is expected to provide clarity on the scope of executive authority over appointments within Ghana’s security services and reinforce the legal framework governing leadership positions in the sector.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
