Human Rights violations will be a thing of the past – Dominic Ayine

Attorney General and Minister of Justice-designate, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has pledged to protect citizens’ rights with the reintroduction of a revamped public tribunal system.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) had included the reintroduction of public tribunals in its 2024 manifesto, promising to decentralize justice delivery across the regions.

Addressing concerns raised in Africa Watch Human Rights Report (Volume 4) regarding past abuses associated with public tribunals, Dr. Ayine assured the Appointments Committee of Parliament during his vetting on January 13, 2025, that such violations would not happen under his leadership.

He also proposed the drafting and passage of a Public Tribunal Court Act to regulate the system and prevent any potential misuse, ensuring that the tribunals uphold the highest standards of fairness and justice.

“My proposal or my thinking going into this office is that we will enact a public tribunal’s Act that will be comprehensive and that will contain restrictions. In terms of the conduct of the affairs of the tribunal.”

Additionally, he pledged to realign the country with the principles of the 1992 Constitution.

In another development, Dr. Dominic Ayine, also pledged to safeguard Ghana’s interests in all international contracts and legal transactions.

Dr. Ayine emphasized his commitment to implementing robust measures to protect the public from potential losses in such dealings.

“I can assure the house that if they are [legal contracts] before the London Court of International Arbitration, I’m quite familiar with that tribunal. I have appeared before that tribunal several times. I can assure you that I will put in the measures that will ensure that the interest of the public is not compromised.”

He also defended the track record of the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, asserting that there were no questionable incidents of judgment debts under its tenure.