Criminal Law Blog Ghana

  Introduction From the genesis of the modern state, the prosecution of an accused person has been the preserve of the State and not the victim or complainant. This is because crime is considered a wrong or injury against the State as a whole. [1]  Thus, complainants have over the centuries played no other role than making a report and testifying in court. Is this the case even when a complainant is aggrieved by the conduct or outcome of a criminal case?   The legal position of a complainant in Ghana A complainant in a criminal case is the one who reports a crime and is usually the victim or any other person who may have been affected by the crime. A complainant may be a natural person or a corporate entity or institution.  In Ghana, as is common to most jurisdictions, the power to initiate and conduct criminal proceedings is vested in the Attorney-General and all offences prosecuted in the name of the Republic of Ghana is at the suit of the Attorney-General or perso...