The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, has issued a directive to all judges regarding the handling of cases by police prosecutors.
The notice is in response to a letter from the office of the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame stating that, police prosecutors are now restricted to prosecuting cases with a monetary value not exceeding GH¢500,000.
“The letter further indicates that any case with monetary value above this limit must be referred to the Office of the Attorney-General for study and advice,” the Chief Justice stated.
The Attorney General in his letter mentioned being briefed by the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding instances where lower court judges lacked awareness of these constraints, resulting in police prosecutors handling cases beyond their authorized scope.
“I am informed by the Director of Public Prosecutions that due to the fact that some lower court judges are unaware of these limits, there have been instances where Police Prosecutors have prosecuted cases well above their mandate.
“I am by this letter bringing to the attention of the Judicial Service the limits imposed on Police Prosecutors to enable lower court judges to refuse to entertain criminal cases brought by Police Prosecutors with monetary value beyond the permissible limits without an advice from the Office of the Attorney-General.”
Find attached notice below:
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