Ghanaian judges collected bribes to sell judgments while government officials in the country engaged in corruption with impunity, says the U.S. Department of State in its investment climate report.

In the Ghana section of the report, the American government stressed that “corruption is most pervasive in the country’s judicial system and public services with bribes often exchanged for favourable court decisions.”

It added, “Businesses have noted that bribery is most pervasive in the judicial system and across public services and report that bribes are often exchanged in return for favorable judicial decisions. Large corruption cases are prosecuted, but proceedings are lengthy, and convictions are slow,” the report concluded.

The report also mentioned that Ghana “is just as corrupt as most countries” in West Africa, citing Transparency International’s Perception of Corruption Index with authorities failing to punish defaulters despite the country’s strong anti-corruption laws.

“Corruption in Ghana is similar to most other countries in the region, according to Transparency International’s Perception of Corruption Index. Corruption is a serious problem, with Ghana scoring 43 on a scale of 100 and ranking 72 out of 180 countries in 2022,” the report noted. “The government has a relatively strong anti-corruption legal framework in place, but enforcement of existing laws is rare and inconsistent.”

The report noted that the Ghanaian government established an Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in 2017 to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, but the office has prosecuted a handful of cases since then.

Some corruption allegations levelled against Ghanaian officials include President Akufo-Addo firing a minister of state for finance after appearing to be soliciting and accepting bribes in an investigative documentary.

Another video exposé captured in 2015 showed several judges and other judicial officials soliciting bribes from litigants to manipulate the country’s judicial process. Over 34 judges were implicated in the scandal, and 25 were dismissed.