The Court of Appeal has ordered the immediate promotion of 40 Chief Inspectors of the Ghana Police Service and directed the payment of all related financial entitlements within six months.
The decision overturns a ruling by the Kumasi High Court, which had earlier dismissed the officers’ case.
The Chief Inspectors had gone to court after they were excluded from a special promotion amnesty introduced during the tenure of former Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare.
The amnesty programme allowed officers who obtained university degrees before 2020 to benefit from accelerated promotions.
The plaintiffs, many of whom have between 25 and 30 years of service, argued that they were unfairly denied admission to the Police Academy a key requirement for promotion to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police while some junior officers benefited from the initiative.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Eric Baah, unanimously set aside the High Court’s decision, describing it as an injustice.
The court consequently ordered the Ghana Police Service to promote the officers with immediate effect and to pay all outstanding financial entitlements within six months.
The Kumasi High Court had earlier ruled that promotions within the Police Service are governed by established procedures and that academic qualifications alone do not automatically guarantee promotion.
Lawyer for the officers, Madam Anne Agbetsiafa, welcomed the ruling, describing it as a victory for fairness and justice.
The affected officers expressed joy and celebrated the ruling at the court premises.
