The Legal Green Association (LGA) has declared its support for government plans to operationalise the Regional Tribunals, describing the move as a legitimate constitutional measure that could strengthen Ghana’s fight against corruption and economic crimes.

The Association’s position follows a recent disclosure by the Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, during a high-level meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and civil society organisations in October 2025, that a Public Tribunal Bill had been submitted to Cabinet for approval and would soon be presented to Parliament under a certificate of urgency.

The initiative forms part of the government’s renewed anti-corruption strategy and its commitment to the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) programme — a national campaign aimed at reclaiming misappropriated public funds and assets.

While some critics have expressed concerns that the revival of the tribunal system could evoke memories of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) era, the LGA insists that the Regional Tribunal remains a constitutional and lawful arm of Ghana’s judicial structure, as provided under Articles 142 and 143 of the 1992 Constitution and the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459), as amended.

“The Regional Tribunal is not a relic of authoritarianism but a dormant constitutional mechanism awaiting operational activation,” said Festus Matey, Leader of the Legal Green Association.

According to him, “A living-dead entity is not a corpse; it is one in a coma, capable of revival. The Tribunal can and must be revived to deliver swift, credible justice in corruption and economic crime cases.”

According to the Association, the Regional Tribunal has concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court in matters involving serious economic fraud, misappropriation of state funds or property, and abuse of public office for personal gain, making it well-suited for handling ORAL-related prosecutions.

LGA proposes key reforms to strengthen ORAL

The Legal Green Association urged the government and Parliament to adopt a national framework that would ensure the success of ORAL and the effective functioning of the reactivated Regional Tribunals.

It proposed two major reforms:

1. A 12-Month Cap for Corruption-Related Trials — The Association called for legislative or judicial policy reforms to limit the duration of corruption and economic crime cases to a maximum of one year. “Prolonged trials erode public confidence and embolden offenders. Swift justice restores deterrence and faith in the system,” the statement said.
2. Adequate Resourcing of Investigative and Prosecutorial Bodies — The LGA called for the Attorney-General’s Department, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), EOCO, CHRAJ, and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to be adequately funded and insulated from political interference. It also proposed that a fixed proportion of recovered funds be reinvested into these institutions to sustain their operations.

A call to national conscience

The LGA urged all arms of government to demonstrate unity and courage in confronting corruption, describing ORAL as a “national redemption effort” critical to restoring public trust in Ghana’s governance and justice systems.

“If ORAL fails, Ghana fails,” the statement declared. “Let it be written that when corruption threatened to drown our Republic, we rose united in conscience and purpose to defend the soul of Ghana.”

The group further called on civil society, the media, and citizens to play active roles in ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of ORAL and other anti-corruption initiatives.

Background
The Regional Tribunals, created by the 1992 Constitution, were designed to adjudicate serious offences against the State and public interest. Though active in the early years of the Fourth Republic, they have since become dormant due to limited government commitment and resource constraints.

If revived, legal experts believe the Tribunals could ease the burden on the High Courts and accelerate the prosecution of corruption-related cases under Ghana’s evolving anti-corruption framework.