Payment of fees to access public information unreasonable, repeal it – Judge

According to the renowned judge, information should not be sold by the public to a person who requires it for educational or other purposes.

He is therefore calling for the provision of payment of fees to be repealed to ensure efficient dissemination of information.

Speaking at the 2022 Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Annual Lecture on the topic: “The Parameters and Impact of Right to Information in Ghana, Justice Sir Dennis Adjei said, access to Justice includes “open justice.”

“The fees to be paid by an applicant who applies to access information for public consumption is unreasonable and the provision of payment of fees should be repealed.

“A person who legitimately requires information but cannot pay for the prescribed fee would be denied of his fundamental right to obtain information,” he stated.

“In this democratic regime, information should not be sold by the public to a person who requires it for educational or other purposes.

“The judicial review applications brought against the decision of the information officer or head of an institution should not attract the same filing fees which are paid in judicial review applications as it may deter persons with legitimate interest from pursuing such applications for the benefit of the public,” he noted.

Sir Dennis Adjei added that, “cost should not be awarded in those cases against an appellant where the application for judicial review is refused by reason of its fundamental human rights nature.

“The education on the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) should be promoted to encourage people to make use of the Act to deepen democracy.”