Separate AG from Justice Minister to boost anti-corruption fight – Asiedu Nketiah

National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, is advocating for the separation of the roles of Attorney-General and Minister for Justice as part of efforts to improve justice delivery and strengthen Ghana’s fight against corruption.

He made this statement at the 2025 African Governance and Anti-Corruption Summit in Accra on Thursday, June 26, 2025.

Mr. Asiedu Nketiah argued that combining the two roles undermines accountability and makes it difficult to effectively tackle wrongdoing within government.

He explained that the Attorney-General, who is vested with prosecutorial powers, also doubles as the Minister for Justice and a member of Cabinet — a situation that compromises their ability to independently prosecute corrupt officials.

“From hindsight, I think that we were wrong in combining the Office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice, for instance,” he stated. “Because you could have Attorney General, and if he’s the Minister of Justice, he sits in cabinet with his colleague ministers. All policies that are coming from the other sectors are cleared at cabinet. So it becomes very difficult for that same member of the government or cabinet to now seek to arrest or prosecute his colleagues” Mr. Asiedu Nketiah stated

He added that the situation creates an obvious conflict of interest, which weakens the fight against corruption and shields officials from legal consequences.

The NDC National Chairman suggested that the Attorney-General’s position should be made a career role, similar to that of a judge, rather than a political appointment.

“Yes, I think that we should have separate Attorney General who in my view ought not be a politician. It must be a career Attorney General who would not rely on any political party to put him there, I mean voting and all tha,” he stressed.

Mr. Asiedu Nketiah urged the Constitutional Review Committee to make this reform a priority in the ongoing review process, describing it as a critical step towards enhancing transparency, accountability, and good governance in Ghana.