Fourteen civil society organisations have petitioned the Supreme Court of Ghana to allow them to join an ongoing case challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), describing the matter as one of significant public interest.
The coalition filed its application on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in the case of Adamtey v Attorney-General (Suit No. J1/3/2026). The case seeks to test key provisions that established the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
In a joint statement issued the following day, the groups said their request is intended to support the Court’s interpretation of the Constitution and is not driven by political or personal motives.
“The Applicants take this opportunity to emphasise that their intervention is not partisan, adversarial, or personal to any party before the Court,” the statement said.
“It is motivated solely by a shared commitment to constitutionalism, accountable governance, anti-corruption, institutional integrity, and the preservation of independent public institutions established to serve the Republic.”
The organisations involved include the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, Transparency International Ghana, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, IMANI Africa, The Democracy Hub, STAR-Ghana Foundation, NORSAAC, Penplusbytes, Africa Centre for Energy Policy, Odekro, A Rocha Ghana, Parliamentary Network Africa, One Ghana Movement, and Africa Education Watch.
According to the coalition, several of the groups played active roles in drafting and advocating for the passage of Act 959 in 2017, including engagements with Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. They argue that this background gives them valuable institutional memory that could assist the Court in interpreting the law.
The organisations are seeking to be admitted as amici curiae—friends of the court—so they can provide legal and policy perspectives without becoming direct parties to the case.
They also praised the Court for what they described as its increasing openness to civil society participation in constitutional cases.
“The Court’s openness to structured civil society engagement in constitutional adjudication has, in recent years, enriched the deliberative record before it,” the statement noted, adding that it reflects “a maturing of constitutional practice in Ghana.”
If granted permission, the coalition says it will support the Court with comparative anti-corruption standards, institutional analysis, and broader public interest arguments relevant to the case.
The applicants are represented by a legal team that includes Kizito Beyuo, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Samson Lardy Anyenini, and Clement Kojo Akapame.