Ghana: Information regarding penalty for possession of false travel document or passport
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA3493 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information regarding penalty for possession of false travel document or passport, 1 January 1990, GHA3493, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acba8.html [accessed 9 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to officials at the Ghanaian High Commission in Ottawa and the Embassy in Washington DC, possession of a false passport is a serious criminal offence. The person caught with such a document will be arrested and brought before the court. The officials state that the penalty is usually a prison sentence. Although they were not sure, they nevertheless suggest that the prison term could run anywhere from two to five years.
Information corroborating the above statements regarding the penalty in question, is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
According to Amnesty International, under the Public Tribunal Law (PNDC Law 24), the special courts set up in 1982 were empowered to try any offence referred to them by the PNDC and to impose the death penalty for offenses specified by the government. [
FootnoteS:
When the State Kills... The Death Penalty: A Human Rights Issue, (New York: Amnesty International USA, 1989), p.137.]
There are two court systems in Ghana, the pre-revolutionary one and the revolutionary Public Tribunals. According to the DOS report, the independence of the former courts based on the British legal systems, is questionable. [Country Profiles on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), p.136.] The dismissal of sixteen judges in 1986 has alienated members of the Ghana Bar Association who are attempting to preserve the independence of the judiciary. [ibid. p.136.]
For detailed information on the make-up and educational background of Public Tribunal judges, please find excerpts from the following articles:
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989, pp.134-142.
Amnesty International Report 1989, New York: Amnesty International USA, pp.54-55.
