Justice Afia Serwa Asare Botwe, an Appeals Court Judge, has advocated support for security-sector institutions to enable them to discharge their mandate effectively.
She made the call at the Public Consultation on the 2nd Additional Protocol to the Convention of Cybercrime on Enhanced Co-operation and Disclosure of Electronic Evidence in Accra on Wednesday.
She asserted that when state institutions were entrusted with responsibilities, the business community and the citizens expected them to deliver on their mandate.
However, she observed that state institutions that received reports of cybercrimes often encounter challenges in obtaining reliable evidence and appropriate logistics to aid effective remedial measures.
Hence, it resulted in delays in investigations, thus, leaving elements of unsolved cases at the courts, she added.
Justice Asare Botwe said the myriad of logistical challenges faced by some critical state institutions hindered timely remedial interventions against cyber criminals and thus, adversely affected their ability to deliver.
“The conversation on minimising cybercrime activities in Ghana, in particular, could be realised with the provision of robust logistical and sustainable funding support from the state and international partners,” she noted.
Some personalities in attendance were Mrs Mavis Amoa, Director of Legislative Drafting, Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, members of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee, representatives, and experts from the Council of Europe.
The event, held under the auspices of the Council of Europe and the Cyber Security Authority, formed part of preparatory measures for the Government of Ghana to sign the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime on Enhanced Co-operation and Disclosure of Electronic Evidence.
The Protocol was formally approved on November 17, 2021, and opened for signatories by the Parties to the Convention on Cybercrime on May 12, 2022.
Ghana ratified the Convention on Cybercrime on December 3, 2018, and became effective on April 1, 2019.
The Protocol contained important new provisions to further enhance co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence to support countries to effectively tackle cybercrime and other crimes involving electronic evidence.
To achieve the objectives of the protocol, Justice Asare Botwe noted that “the ripple effect of cyber activities and the borderless nature tended to garner international attention, hence it was imperative to promote co-operation among state institutions and countries at large.”
Mr Branko Stamenkovic, a representative of the Serbian Cybercrime Convention Committee, in brief remarks, said that Ghana, being a member of the Budapest Convention on the Global Action on Cybercrime, had been a true ally regarding the protection of its citizens, especially on economic and political systems.
He observed that Ghana continued to show commitment towards expanding its criminal justice capacities, which could easily be seen through the numerous activities it had undertaken since 2016, with the assistance of the Global Action on Cybercrime, Extended (GLACY+), a joint project of the Council of Europe.
In September 2022, the Government of Ghana requested the support of the GLACY+Project to initiate a dialogue on the Second Additional Protocol as part of the national consultation required to sign the Protocol.
Ghana has been a long-time partner of the GLACY+ project, with numerous activities regarding legislation and capacity building conducted in cooperation with national authorities.
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