Beyond the verdict: Why Ghana's courts must do more to tackle corruption, says Transparency International

Ghana's anti-corruption fight faces a troubling gap in the justice system, according to Transparency International Ghana, which has called on the courts to go beyond criminal verdicts and demand broader accountability from public officials even when acquittals are issued.

The intervention follows the Court of Appeal's decision to overturn the 10-year prison sentence handed to former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedina Tamakloe, acquitting and discharging her of the charges against her. Whilst the court performed its judicial function correctly, anti-corruption advocates argue the judgment represents a missed opportunity to strengthen governance and public trust.

The accountability gap

Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, Mary Awelana Addah, highlighted how the acquittal focuses narrowly on insufficient criminal evidence whilst ignoring the substantive governance questions raised by the case itself. The case involved allegations of procurement irregularities, including the purchase of buses that were never requested by intended beneficiaries, mobile phone price inflation, and questionable financial transactions.

Ms Addah questioned how public officials could procure vehicles that remain unused and deteriorated without facing any form of institutional accountability. She also raised concerns about price inflation on mobile phones and irregular payment practices that emerged during the trial, arguing these raise valid governance concerns regardless of criminal conviction.

The core issue, she explained, is that courts could recommend administrative sanctions and institutional reforms even when criminal evidence falls short. This distinction between criminal culpability and administrative accountability is crucial: a person may not be guilty beyond reasonable doubt of a crime, yet still have engaged in questionable conduct that warrants organisational consequences.

Why it matters for Ghana

The acquittal has broader implications for Ghana's anti-corruption agenda and public confidence in institutions. When high-profile officials escape any form of consequence despite questionable conduct, it sends a message that political connections matter more than accountability. This perception—whether accurate or not—undermines the legitimacy of Ghana's justice system and weakens deterrence against future misconduct.

Ms Addah pointed out that the current approach risks emboldening other officials. If officials see peers escape without any consequences after similar conduct, they may conclude that similar actions carry no real risk. This creates a culture where procurement abuse, financial irregularities, and institutional waste become normalised amongst those with the right connections.

The issue also affects Ghana's broader governance agenda. Institutional reforms, administrative sanctions, and civil service accountability measures are tools that exist in many jurisdictions precisely to address conduct that, whilst troubling, may not meet the criminal threshold. By ignoring these tools, courts miss opportunities to strengthen public institutions and prevent future lapses.

Strengthening Ghana's anti-corruption response

Transparency International Ghana has made clear that the anti-corruption fight cannot rely solely on criminal convictions. Courts in Ghana have previously pronounced on governance issues through recommendations for institutional learning and reform. Ms Addah called for prosecutors to improve case preparation to ensure corruption allegations are properly investigated and presented, avoiding situations where evidence gaps allow questionable conduct to go unchecked.

The broader message is that Ghana's justice system needs a multi-layered approach: criminal prosecution where evidence supports it, administrative accountability for institutional misconduct, and systemic reforms that prevent future lapses. Courts can support this approach not by overstepping their criminal jurisdiction, but by recommending measures that strengthen public accountability even when acquittals are issued.

For Ghana's anti-corruption agenda to succeed, all actors—prosecutors, courts, and civil society—must work together to ensure that public officials answer for their conduct in multiple ways, whether through criminal sanction, administrative action, or institutional reform.