A new investigation by Corruption Watch has exposed widespread violations of Ghana’s Right to Information (RTI) law by several leading state institutions, resulting in millions of cedis in fines.
The six-month probe, carried out between February and July 2025, found that the RTI Commission (RTIC) issued over 70 rulings against more than 60 public and private bodies, imposing penalties totalling about GH¢5.6 million.
According to the report, titled “Saga Over RTI: Millions Paid as Penalty”, some of Ghana’s most powerful institutions were cited.
The Ghana Police Service has already paidGH¢450,357, while CHRAJ owes GH¢30,000.
The Parliamentary Service has settled GHC53,785, but the Judicial Service and the Attorney-General’s Department still owe GH¢100,000 and GH¢50,000, respectively.
SSNIT has paid GH¢200,000.
The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) topped the offenders’ list with a staggering GH¢1.365 million fine, followed by the Ministry of Education, which paid GH¢260,000.
The Lands Commission and Public Procurement Authority were finedGH¢150,000 andGH¢100,000, respectively.
Corruption Watch criticised the trend of state institutions using taxpayer funds to settle these penalties, warning that it undermines the very purpose of the RTI law, which is to promote transparency and accountability.
The report also revealed repeat offenders, with the Ministry of Education recording the highest number of penalties (four), while the Ghana Police Service was cited three times.
Other frequent violators included the Ghana Education Service, Judicial Service, Lands Commission, Ministry of Energy, and the Department of Urban Roads.
As an initiative of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and its partners, Corruption Watch said the findings highlight a troubling pattern, with the very institutions tasked with upholding accountability being among the worst at complying with transparency laws.
