The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, has issued a directive to all judges regarding the handling of cases by police prosecutors.
This directive is in response to a letter from the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, which stated that police prosecutors are now limited to prosecuting cases with a monetary value not exceeding GH¢500,000.
The Attorney-General’s letter also specified that cases exceeding this monetary limit should be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General for further examination and advice.
He said he had been informed by the Director of Public Prosecutions that because some lower court judges were unaware of these limits, there had been instances where police prosecutors had 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 advice from the Office of the Attorney-General.”
In a letter dated March 4, 2024, the Chief Justice communicated this new directive to the judges, stating, “You are kindly requested to take note accordingly.”