Legal practitioner and member of parliament, Hon. Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has raised concerns over the delayed response to his Right to Information(RTI) request regarding memos from Prosecution Department recommending the discontinuation of certain cases.
According ro Assafuah, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Justice Srem Sai, admitted during his vetting that such memos exist and can be assessed under RTI Act, 2019(Act 989). The Deputy Attorney General claimed to have personally seen electronic versions of these documents in his capacity as a private individual.
Member of Parliament, Ekow Assafuah exercised his right under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) by formally requesting access to these memos. However, despite the statutory timeframe of 14 days for a response, as stipulated in Section 23(1) of Act 989, the MP says he has not received any reply. Under the law, the failure to provide a response within the stipulated period is deemed a refusal of the request.
In accordance with Section 31 of the RTI Act, which allows for an internal review when access is denied or delayed, Ekow Assafuah has formally submitted a request for an internal review of this decision. This process is crucial, as it tests the commitment of public institutions to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, and good governance.
The right to access information is a fundamental pillar of democracy, ensuring that public officials are held accountable for their actions. If, as stated by the Deputy Attorney General, these memos are indeed accessible under the RTI Act, then there should be no reason for delays or obstructions in making them available.
Read his full statement here.