A recent investigation by Corruption Watch has uncovered that several prominent state institutions—including the Ghana Police Service, CHRAJ, Parliament, the Judiciary, and the Attorney-General’s Department—have collectively been fined over GHC5.6 million for violating Ghana’s Right to Information (RTI) law.
The six-month probe, which ran from February to July 2025, found that the RTI Commission (RTIC) issued more than 70 determinations against at least 60 public and private institutions. These rulings resulted in significant penalties for failing to comply with requests for information under the RTI Act.
According to the report, titled “Saga Over RTI: Millions Paid as Penalty”, the Ghana Police Service has already paid GHC450,357 in fines. CHRAJ has an outstanding fine of GHC30,000, while the Parliamentary Service has paid GHC53,785. Other fines include GHC100,000 owed by the Judicial Service, GHC50,000 by the Attorney-General’s Department, and GHC200,000 already paid by SSNIT.
The highest penalty was imposed on the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), which was fined GHC1.365 million. The Ministry of Education followed with GHC260,000 in fines. Other penalized institutions include the Lands Commission (GHC150,000) and the Public Procurement Authority (GHC100,000).
The report also expressed concern that these fines are being paid using public funds, effectively making taxpayers bear the cost of institutional noncompliance—an issue that undermines the purpose of the RTI law.
In terms of frequency, the Ministry of Education recorded the highest number of penalties with four separate infractions, followed by the Ghana Police Service with three. Other repeat offenders included the Ghana Education Service, Judicial Service, Lands Commission, Ministry of Energy, and the Urban Roads Department.
Corruption Watch, an initiative led by CDD-Ghana and its partners, emphasized that the findings point to a troubling pattern: institutions responsible for upholding accountability and transparency are themselves failing to adhere to laws designed to ensure public access to information.
