Legal experts, led by Jennifer Hall, from the University of Ghana School of Law, have called for a comprehensive amendment of the exemptions regime within the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

This strategic move aims to bolster the fight against Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) by enhancing transparency and accountability.

The call was made at a dissemination workshop on Thursday, November 16, 2023, “on the theme “Curbing IFFs to Finance Development"

Jennifer Hall stressed the imperative nature of laws that exert real influence, particularly on politically exposed persons, and outlined the pressing need for reforms within the RTI Act.

The workshop revealed that despite Ghana having over 16 laws addressing IFFs, the existing exemptions within the RTI Act and other deficiencies in the laws were hindering effective combat against financial malpractices.

Common legal problems enabling IFFs were scrutinised, focusing on specific areas of concern, including contract disclosure, transparency issues related to politically exposed persons, and challenges in determining beneficial owners.

The workshop also shed light on shortcomings in the implementation of laws, such as bribery by purchasing companies and the lack of parliamentary approval for financial transactions.

A spotlight was directed towards the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), where operationalization issues, exceptions to laws, and a lack of disclosure raised transparency concerns.

The crux of the workshop's discussions, however, centred around the urgent need to amend the exemptions regime of the RTI Act.

The researcher highlighted that this crucial step would remove obstacles to information access, empowering authorities to uncover and combat Illicit Financial Flows more effectively.