Court instructs EC to publish accounts of Political Party

Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

he Electoral Commission of Ghana, EC has been instructed by a Human Rights Court in Accra to make public all assets and audited accounts of political parties in the country.

The instruction from the Court is anchored on a suit filed by a Ghanaian citizen, Lolan Ekow Sagoe-Moses, and pressure group Citizens Ghana Movement (CGM), who prayed the court to compel the Commission to enforce the provisions of the law that mandates all political parties to submit their annual financial statements to the Commission.

The Presiding Judge Justice Anthony Yeboah asked the Electoral Commission to publish a demand notice to all political parties to take immediate steps to comply with the law within six (6) calendar months from the today, Friday, February 9, 2018.

The Civil society group, CitizenGhana Movement, went to court to have an order compelling the Electoral Commission to furnish it with copies of the annual audited accounts and assets and revenues of all 24 registered political parties.

The group, in an earlier statement in April 2017, indicated that it had written to the EC on the 29th of March, 2017 in this regard.

The group said the letter was the first of a series of actions intended “to push for more transparency in the body politic of Ghana.”

Political parties Act

The Political Parties Act 574 (section 21), states that, political parties shall within six months from December 31 of each year, file with the Commission: a return in the form specified by the Commission indicating – the state of its accounts, the sources of its funds, membership dues paid and contributions in cash or kind.

Others are; the properties of the party and time of acquisition, such other particulars as the Commission may reasonably require, and audited accounts of the party for the year.