Law school launches short course for prosecution, litigation

The Ghana School of Law (GSL) has launched a six-month intensive short course on criminal prosecution and litigation for investigators and prosecutors, as well as allied security agencies with prosecutorial mandate.

The programme is to boost the confidence of state investigators and prosecutors to perform better in their preparation and the prosecution of criminals.

Participants are to be taken through criminal procedure, basic interpretation, investigating skills, preparing a case docket in order to bridge the gap between the basic legal practice training provided to prosecutors and the high-level professional legal education of defence law.

Objective

The Course Director at the GSL, Dr Georgina Ahorbor, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, explained that the objective of the course was to develop the legal knowledge of local prosecutors, especially in the areas of criminal procedure, rules of evidence and skills of police prosecutors and allied officers.

She added that the course would also enhance the courtroom advocacy skills of prosecutors while updating their knowledge of relevant legislation and basic rules in interpreting laws.

Aside from investigators and prosecutors, the course will be useful to personnel from the Economic and Organised Crime Office, Narcotics Control Commission, National Security, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority and Ghana Revenue Authority. 

Dr Ahorbor further noted that the first four months would be dedicated to intensive lecturing, the fifth month for attachment at the various courts in the country and the last week for practicals and examination.

She added that currently 65 persons had signed up for the short programme and would be trained by experienced personalities within the legal fraternity.