Source: newsthemegh.com
The Ghana Police Service has been penalised GH 100,000 by the Right To Information Commission for neglecting and rejecting a valid request for information made by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa.
When CHRI wrote to police chief George Akuffo Dampare to inquire about the progress of cases involving police abuse of civilians, he didn’t respond.
The RTI Commission said in a statement that the respondent had “clearly failed to perform its obligation under Act 989” based on the fact that it had yet to decide on the applicant’s submitted application.
The statement continued, “This is in addition to its failure to reply to the Commission’s letter received by it.
Such a stance by the respondent “is not to be encouraged, as it is an affront to the right of access to information enshrined in Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and affirmed by Act 989 and same ought to be disapproved in strong terms,” the Commission stated.
“As a result, the respondent is subject to an administrative penalty of GHC 100,000.00, which shall be paid to the Commission not later than 14 days following the respondent’s receipt of this decision of the Commission.”
“In the event of default for any additional 14 days, thereafter, the penalty, as imposed, shall attract an additional default penalty rate of l0% on the principal penalty sum of GH100,000.00.”