International corporate lawyer and entrepreneur Vicky Bright has described the government's proposed tribunal bill as constitutionally problematic, urging authorities to reassure t
The report indicates that international corporate lawyer and entrepreneur Vicky Bright has described the government’s proposed tribunals bill as constitutionally problematic, urging authorities to reassure the public before proceeding with the legislation.
It further notes that speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, July 20, Ms Bright stated the debate surrounding the bill should not be viewed through a partisan political lens, but rather as a matter of national importance that affects all Ghanaians.
“Constitutionally, it’s problematic. We all know that there are difficulties, constitutionally, with the whole concept of a tribunal,” she said.
Ms Bright argued that the issue transcends the positions of either the Minority or the Majority in Parliament, stressing that it concerns Ghana’s constitutional democracy and the confidence citizens have in the country’s justice system.
“For me, this thing goes beyond any partisan position. This is about Ghanaians, Ghana and us. We cannot be running away from the fact that the word ‘tribunal’ is very sensitive to a lot of people,” she stated.
She cautioned against dismissing public apprehension about the proposal as merely political, noting that the country’s historical experience with tribunals continues to shape public perceptions.
“It is important that public concern about tribunals should not be treated as a partisan thing about what the Minority believes or the Majority believes,” Ms Bright said.
Recalling Ghana’s past tribunal system, she stated many citizens still associate it with political interference, weak procedural safeguards and institutional arrangements that operated outside the traditional court system.
“Some of us are old enough to remember how the tribunal era actually operated in the past. They were associated with political influence, weak procedural protection for citizens and institutional structures that were really operating outside the traditional courts in a way that we all know justice should operate, or is supposed to operate,” she explained.
However, Ms Bright was careful not to suggest that any modern tribunal would inevitably repeat the mistakes of the past.
“It will be unfair to conclude that every modern tribunal will produce the abuses of the past. But history does affect public confidence,” she said.
She therefore called on the government to meet what she described as a “higher burden” of accountability by clearly explaining the rationale behind the proposed legislation and demonstrating how it differs from previous tribunal systems.
“For me, government needs to meet the higher burden of explanation and reassurance if it proceeds with this bill, and demonstrate, provision by provision, how this new system differs from its historical predecessors,” Ms Bright added.
