The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has clarified that the government’s position on the Constitutional Review Committee’s final report does not amount to a white paper, explaining that the committee was not a commission of inquiry established under Chapter 23 of the 1992 Constitution.

According to him, the committee’s work does not fall under the constitutional framework governing commissions of inquiry, and therefore the government was not required to issue a white paper on its recommendations.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Thursday, July 30, Dr Ayine explained that a white paper would only have been necessary if the committee had been constituted as a commission of inquiry under Chapter 23 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires government to either publish the findings of such a commission together with its response or provide reasons for not doing so.

"This is not a government white paper," he said, stressing that the government’s response represents its considered position on the recommendations submitted by the Constitutional Review Committee.

He said government examined each of the committee’s 206 proposed constitutional amendments against the provisions of the 1992 Constitution to determine their scope, implications and whether the objectives could be achieved through constitutional amendments or through ordinary legislation and administrative action.

The Attorney-General noted that the government’s position on the recommendations falls into three categories: acceptance, acceptance in principle subject to modification, or outright rejection.

He explained that where government accepts a recommendation in principle but proposes changes, reasons have been provided for the modifications.

Similarly, where recommendations were not accepted, government has outlined the basis for its decision.

Dr Ayine said the government’s response followed extensive consultations and Cabinet deliberations, adding that each recommendation was subjected to legal and constitutional analysis before a final position was adopted.

He commended Professor H. Kwesi Prempeh and members of the Constitutional Review Committee for their work, describing the report as comprehensive, well researched and reflective of broad public consultation.