By Ashiadey Dotse
Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has clarified that revealing state secrets is not a treasonable offence under Ghana’s constitution.
Speaking on TV3’s New Day show, Mr. Kpebu explained that although disclosing state secrets is a crime under Ghana’s Security and Intelligence Agencies Act (Act 1030), it does not amount to treason. The law sets a minimum sentence of five years in prison for such disclosures.
“Treason in Ghana only applies when someone tries to overthrow the government,” Kpebu said. “Just revealing a state secret doesn’t meet the definition of treason according to our constitution.”
His comments come in the wake of a controversy involving Adu-Boahene, a government official accused of misusing state funds. In his defense, Adu-Boahene revealed details about how state money was spent, claiming GHS 960,000 was used to pay allowances to Members of Parliament on the Defence and Interior Committee.
He also mentioned larger amounts, including GHS 5.1 million spent on “Election Special Operations” and GHS 520,000 for generators under “Human Security Operations,” all reportedly within the scope of National Security operations.
Kpebu stressed that while revealing such secrets is legally punishable, it may still be justified if it serves the public interest. “When state funds are being misused, it is important to protect the public purse. In such cases, a good government should not punish the whistleblower,” he stated.
According to Kpebu, Adu-Boahene may have acted within his rights if the disclosure was meant to expose corruption or protect public resources.
