Ghanaians have a lot to cherish about. Our democracy is deepening and we must all be proud of the gains irrespective of where we stand on the political divide. The recent Fast Track High Court ruling on the case involving the former Foreign Minister would pass as a landmark verdict.
Akwasi Osei Adjei had sought the courts interpretation of the constitutionality of the Bureau of National Investigations’ powers to seize his passport or restrict a citizen’s movement.
The clouds have now been cleared, and according to the court, the BNI can only seize a citizen’s passport or curtail their movement only after they had been explicitly granted permission by the court. This ruling wants things to be done in a manner that would ensure respect for civil liberties.
It is a ruling we must all be proud about, however, it has inherent consequences for the administration of justice.
Unless, we quickly provide adequate resources for the courts to function properly and promptly this ruling would stymie the work of the security agencies in dealing with crime.
The challenge the ruling posses for investigators are twofold. First they have to quickly charge persons they arrest upon suspicion that they might abscond.
Or wait till they get an order from the court. There may be exceptional circumstances where it becomes impossible to secure a court order restraining a suspect from absconding.
However we look at it, the wake up call is on for us to have an efficient court system running night and day across the nation. Anything short of that would get in the way of dealing with crime.
Credit: Ras Mubarak.
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