Godfred Yeboah Dame met with Ukraine Prosecutor General (left) and UK Attorney General, Victoria Prentis, KC, MP
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has affirmed Ghana’s recognition and support for the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), especially relating to the investigation of war crimes committed in Ukraine by Russia.
According to him, with Ghana being one of the first countries to sign and ratify the Rome Statutes as far back as 1999, the country continues to support the work of the ICC.
Mr. Dame was speaking at the Justice Ministers’ Conference in London, United Kingdom (UK) which saw several Justice Ministers and Attorney-Generals from over 43 countries participating.
The Conference, convened under the auspices of the Governments of the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Netherlands, focused on supporting the ICC in its investigations into the Russian-led war in Ukraine.
Areas including support for witnesses, operationalising ICC filed presence in Ukraine, support for effective use of digital evidence in trials before the court, support in terms of collection of forensic evidence and psychological support for victims of sex and gender-based violent crimes and crimes against children were touched on.
Ghana’s Attorney General represented the entire African continent as the only African country present at the high-level Conference.
Mr. Dame, addressing the Conference on Ghana’s position on the situation in Ukraine, indicated that the country has unequivocally and consistently stressed that Russia’s actions in Ukraine constitute an unjustified violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
He noted that Ghana is of the fervent belief that a pathway to the resolution of the war is through honest and sincere dialogue between the warring parties, although the course of recent events suggests that a peaceful resolution through dialogue will be illusional.
Mr. Dame noted that the ICC has a responsibility to identify suspects, gather evidence and prosecute perpetrators.
He said Ghana supports the investigative work of the Prosecutor in the situation in Ukraine in line with its accountability mandate to ensure that individuals found culpable of egregious crimes in violation of the Rome Statutes are investigated and brought to book under international law.
Mr. Dame disclosed that his office in Ghana has recently moved to fill a lacuna in Ghana’s laws by preparing an International Criminal Court Bill to enable courts in Ghana to try offences recognised under the Rome Statute, and to provide a legal framework within which the ICC can prosecute cases in circumstances where the Ghanaian courts are unable to do so.
He indicated that Ghana can offer relocation assistance to the ICC for victims and witnesses as the nation’s track record as a nation speaks to an established capacity to provide accommodation in-state, identity protection and a home for refugees.
Mr. Dame, as part of the visit to the UK, also had series of other bilateral and trilateral meetings, including meetings with the UK Attorney-General and the Ukrainian Prosecutor General; the Lord Chief Justice of the United Kingdom at the Royal Courts of Justice; Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice of the United Kingdom amongst others.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak