SC orders Gov’t To Release GITMO Agreement Between Ghana And US

The Supreme Court has ordered the government to release the agreement between it and the US in the hosting of the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees in the country.

According to the court, the documents should be made available only to the lawyers in the suit.

This followed the Attorney General’s compliance to the Supreme Court’s order to submit the note between the government and the US government.

The AG argued that the agreement is confidential and any disclosure in public or open court violates section 1 of the State Secrets ACT.

However, after scrutinizing the agreement, the Court held that the release of the documents to the lawyers will not result in any security threat.

The plaintiff, Margaret Banful, who is a former Conference Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sued the AG and the Ministry of Interior and is praying the Supreme Court to declare the government’s decision to host the two former detainees as unconstitutional.

In her writ, she argued that President John Mahama should have consulted Parliament before agreeing on the transfer of the two into the country.