We’ve Saved Ghana Billions of Dollars in International Arbitrations- A-G
The Attorney-General and the Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame has indicated that Ghana has done well in achieving favourable outcomes in international arbitrations resulting in little or no cost to the nation.
According to him, the country has saved billions of dollars in judgement debt which runs in excess of GHC15 trillion.
Touting his administration’s achievements over the past three years with a sizable staff, he said the country has been more exposed to international litigation than any other era due to enhanced industrialisation by the government.
That notwithstanding, he said his Office had done well to protect the taxpayers’ money.
“Through an unwavering commitment to justice and the protection of the interests of the State, the Office of the Attorney-General has succeeded in saving the State many billions of United States dollars, being the equivalent of over Fifteen Trillion Ghana Cedis in numerous civil litigations in Ghana and in various international fora since I assumed office. The era of unwarranted, dubious and scandalous judgment debts against the State, I can say, are clearly a thing of the past.”
“The State has had to litigate in the domestic courts of Norway (from the Oslo District Court all the way to that country’s Supreme Court), it has had to defend numerous arbitration claims in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Internationals London Court of International Arbitration, ad hoc arbitration tribunals with seats of arbitration being Paris, Stockholm, New York, etc.”
“It is gratifying to note that in each of these international arbitration claims filed since 2021, the State has achieved favourable outcomes with little or no cost to the nation. We have protected state properties, preserved the nation’s rights and fought off claims for billions of United States Dollars against the State even in a situation where a particular decision of a Minister is impugned by an international tribunal,” he added.
Meanwhile, information from the Ministry of Finance published in August 2023 showed that the government disbursed GH¢300,385,317.52 to more than 60 individuals and organizations in judgement debt between 2017 and 2022.
