The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed a suit filed by policy think tank IMANI Ghana challenging the authority of the President to appoint heads of key security services upon assuming office.

The action sought to contest the appointments of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Director-General of Prisons, the Chief Fire Officer, and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, arguing that the appointments were unconstitutional.

However, in a unanimous decision, the apex court ruled against the suit, describing the case as lacking merit.

The decision was delivered by a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang. Other members of the panel were Justice Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, Justice Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu Kwoffie, Justice George Kingsley Koomson Ackaah-Boafo, and Justice Lovelace Johnson.

The ruling effectively affirms the President’s authority to appoint the heads of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and Ghana Immigration Service in accordance with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions.

The case had attracted significant public interest because of its implications for executive authority and the governance of Ghana’s security services.

With the dismissal of the suit, the appointments of the affected security service heads remain valid, bringing finality to the legal challenge before the country’s highest court.