Former President Jerry John Rawlings at the June 4 celebration called for the repeal of the indemnity clauses in the 1992 constitution to create a level field for every President and staff of the Presidency to be sent to the court to answer questions during their stewardship.
In an interview with GBC’s Radio Ghana, Governance Expert, Dr. Fred Agyarko Oduro said that indemnity is not only being practiced in Ghana but in most countries in the world.
He believes there are other specialised accountability rules and tools which can be used to demand accountability instead of repealing the indemnity clauses which would only lead to frivolous litigations.
Meanwhile, a Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Dr. Seidu Alidu, has described former President Rawlings’ suggestion for the repeal of the indemnity clauses in the constitution as welcome news.
He noted that although the issue is a dicey one with a several ramifications, its repeal will generate mechanisms that will guide constitutional rule into the future. Dr. Alidu however said he cannot conjecture the motive behind Mr. Rawlings’ suggestion, because the indemnity clauses favoured him and some persons he led in the past.
