A civil society organization advocating for transparency and accountability, Perfect Vision Initiative, (PVI) has accused the Right to Information (RTI) Commission of failing in its duty to enforce the Right to Information Act 989.
In a statement on March 12, 2025, PVI’s Founder and Executive Director, William Kofi Yirenkyi, demanded a final determination on an information request that has remained unresolved for a year.
According to Yirenkyi, the Ghana Police Service has deliberately refused to disclose requested information, despite legal obligations.
He criticized the RTI Commission for failing to hold the police accountable, stating, “The Commission seems to operate as little more than a facade, creating the illusion of enforcing the right of access to information rather than actively promoting transparency and accountability.”
The dispute stems from an ongoing case involving the Ghana Police Service, which PVI alleges has ignored multiple directives to release information.
PVI participated in a mediation hearing on March 10, 2025, but was met with additional bureaucratic hurdles.
“The Ghana Police Service’s blatant and deliberate refusal to accept an in-person assessment to verify the facts of the case is unacceptable,” Yirenkyi wrote in the statement.
He expressed disappointment with the RTI Commission, arguing that it is failing to use its quasi-judicial powers to enforce compliance with information requests.
“The law is unequivocal: the Commission is mandated to uphold citizens’ right to information, not to impose unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles or shield institutions that violate the principles of justice,” he wrote.
He further accused the Commission of indirectly enabling injustice by failing to impose sanctions on the Ghana Police Service.
He demanded that the Commission issue a final determination within seven days, warning that any further delays would be viewed as a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice.
AM/KA
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
You can also watch the latest episode of #Trending GH as Ghanaians call for economic solutions instead of KIA renaming