The Supreme Court has directed the Attorney-General to present the full agreement between the Government of Ghana and the United States on accepting deportees to Democracy Hub.
This is to ensure private inspection by lawyers representing the pressure group.
The apex court had earlier given both parties two weeks to file written submissions justifying why the document should, or should not, be released for scrutiny.
The decision followed arguments on whether the deal, widely reported in the media, is a binding international arrangement that must be subject to parliamentary oversight and public accountability.
Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai told the court that the substantive dispute arises from press accounts rather than a publicly available treaty text, a point the judges said underscored the need for access to the actual agreement.
The lawsuit was filed after President John Mahama acknowledged Ghana’s participation in a US-led initiative to accept deported West African migrants, a move that has triggered public debate and legal scrutiny.
At issue is whether the arrangement, described by government ministers as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) rather than a formal treaty, amounts to an international commitment requiring Parliamentary approval under Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com