ITLOS judgment: AG not implementation agency – Gloria Akuffo

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo has said it’s not within the purview of her office to oversee the implementation of the landmark ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on the Ghana/Côte d’Ivoire maritime dispute.

This is despite the AG’s influence in the matter that saw Ghana’s victory in the legal challenge between the two states.

The office of the Attorney General led by the sector Minister, Gloria Akuffo acted as a principal legal advisor in the high profile case, but that notwithstanding she said her Ministry is not charged with the implementation of ITLOS ruling.

“Mr. Speaker,…the office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice is not the implementing agency of the judgment in the matter,” she made the clarification in response to a question from Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House, Frank Annor Dompreh.

Mr. Annor Dompreh sought to know from the Minister what specific steps were being taking to ensure that an acceptable maritime mark is drawn following the recent judgment delivered in the International maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and neighbouring Ivory Coast.

The Special Chamber of ITLOS in a unanimous decision on Saturday September 23, 2017, ruled that there has not been any violation on the part of Ghana on Côte d’Ivoire’s maritime boundary.

ITLOS rejected Côte d’Ivoire’s argument that Ghana’s coastal lines were unstable, and held that Ghana has not violated Côte d’Ivoire’s sovereign rights with its oil exploration in the disputed basin.

President of the Special Chamber, Justice Boualem Bouguetaia, in reading the judgment, accepted Ghana’s argument of adoption of the equidistance method of delineation of the maritime boundary.