The Supreme Court says it will rule on a suit against government’s decision to admit into Ghana two former inmates of the Guantanamo Bay prison on Wednesday if the Attorney General fails to show up in Court.
The judges at the apex court say they have had enough of the continuous absence of a representative from the Attorney General’s department to facilitate determination of the case against government.
Early this year, two private citizens, Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, together with the Minister of Interior, accusing President John Mahama of illegally bringing in the two former Gitmo detainees in contravention of the laws of the state.
The two plaintiffs are seeking among other reliefs a “declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, that President of the Republic of Ghana acted unconstitutionally by agreeing to the transfer of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby into Ghana.”
Although the Attorney General’s Department and the Interior Ministry have been served the statement of case, they are yet to file their defenses to the suit.
There was public outrage following government’s decision to host the two former terror suspects. Many Ghanaians said they pose a threat to national security, but Government insisted the two men posed no threat.
The two former inmates were transfered to Ghana as part of Barack Obama’s resolve to close down the Guantanamo Bay prison.
The United States Embassy in Ghana has since assured Ghanaians that the presence of the two former detainees, posed no threat to the security of the country.
