LGA Backs Government’s Move to Operationalise Regional Tribunals for Economic Crime Cases
The Legal Green Association (LGA), a left-wing association of professional law students, has expressed strong support for the government’s plans to operationalise Ghana’s dormant Regional Tribunals to handle offences against the State and public interest.
The move follows a disclosure by Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine during an October 2025 meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), that a Public Tribunal Bill has been submitted to Cabinet for approval and will soon be laid before Parliament under a certificate of urgency.
The government initiative aligns with the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s 2024 manifesto pledge to reinstate the Public Tribunal System as part of efforts to strengthen the fight against corruption and illegal mining (galamsey).
According to the LGA, the Regional Tribunal — established under Articles 142 and 143 of the 1992 Constitution and the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) as amended by Act 620 — remains a legitimate constitutional body that can effectively adjudicate cases involving serious economic fraud, misappropriation of public funds, and abuse of office.
“The Regional Tribunal is a lawful but dormant arm of Ghana’s judicial structure — a living-dead institution capable of revival,” said Festus Matey, Leader of the Legal Green Association. “It is well positioned to handle cases under the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative aimed at reclaiming misappropriated public funds and restoring transparency in governance.”
The Association underscored that ORAL represents Ghana’s “last chance” to redeem its governance integrity, urging the state to act decisively. “If ORAL fails, Ghana fails,” the statement read.
To ensure the success of the initiative, the LGA proposed a statutory cap of 12 months for the completion of all corruption and economic crime trials, and called for greater resourcing of key anti-corruption agencies, including the Attorney-General’s Department, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), EOCO, CHRAJ, and NIB.
“A fixed proportion of recovered funds should be reinvested into these institutions to strengthen investigative capacity and independence,” the group added.
The LGA concluded by calling on the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, civil society, and the media to collectively uphold accountability and integrity in public office, asserting that Ghana’s justice system must rise to defend the “soul of the Republic.”
