Verbatim text
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR PUBLIC OFFICERS
284. CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
A public officer shall not put himself in a positio n where his personal interest conflicts or is
likely to conflict with the performance of the func tions of his office.
285. OTHER PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS.
No person shall be appointed or act as the Chairman of the governing body of a public
corporation or authority while he holds a position in the service of that corporation or
authority.
286. OTHER PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS.
(1) A person who holds a public office mentioned in clause (5) of this article shall submit to
the Auditor-General a written declaration of all pr operty or assets owned by, or liabilities
owed by, him whether directly or indirectly—
(a) within three months after the coming into force of this Constitution or before taking office,
as the case may be,
(b) at the end of every four years; and
(c) at the end of his term of office.
(2) Failure to declare or knowingly making false de claration shall be a contravention of this
Constitution and shall be dealt with in accordance with article 287 of this Constitution.
(3) The declaration made under clause (1) of this a rticle shall, on demand, be produced in
evidence—
(a) before a court of competent jurisdiction; or
(b) before a commission of inquiry appointed under article 278 of this Constitution; or
(c) before an investigator appointed by the Commiss ioner for Human Rights and
Administrative Justice.
(4) Any property or assets acquired by a public off icer after the initial declaration required by
clause (1) of this article and which is not reasona bly attributable to income, gift, loan,
inheritance or any other reasonable source shall be deemed to have been acquired in
contravention of this Constitution.
(5) The public offices to which the provisions of t his article apply are those of—
(a) the President of the Republic;
(b) the Vice-President of the Republic;
(c) the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and a member of Parliament;
(d) Minister of State or Deputy Minister;
(e) Chief Justice, Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature, Chairman of a Regional
Tribunal, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Adm inistrative Justice and his Deputies
and all judicial officers;
(f) Ambassador or High Commissioner;
(g) Secretary to the Cabinet;
(h) Head of Ministry or government department or eq uivalent office in the Civil Service;
(i) chairman, managing director, general manager an d departmental head of a public
corporation or company in which the State has a con trolling interest; and
(j) such officers in the public service and any oth er public institution as Parliament may
prescribe.
(6) The Auditor-General shall make a written declar ation of his assets and liabilities to the
President in the manner and subject to the conditio ns provided in clauses (1) to (3) of this
article.
(7) Before entering upon the duties of his office, a person appointed to an office to which the
provisions of this article apply, shall take and su bscribe the oath of allegiance, the oath of
secrecy and the official oath set out in the Second Schedule to this Constitution, or any other
oath appropriate to his office.
287. COMPLAINTS OF CONTRAVENTION.
(1) An allegation that a public officer has contrav ened or has not complied with a provision of
this Chapter shall be made to the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice
and, in the case of the Commissioner of Human Right s and Administrative Justice, to the
Chief Justice who shall, unless the person concerne d makes a written admission of the
contravention or non-compliance, cause the matter t o be investigated.
(2) The Commissioner for Human Rights and Administr ative Justice or the Chief Justice as
the case may be, may take such action as he conside rs appropriate in respect of the results of
the investigation or the admission.
288. INTERPRETATION.
In this Chapter, unless the context otherwise requi res, “public officer” means a person who
holds a public office.
What this means
- The index files it under the chapter heading “Chapter TWENTY: FOUR”.
- The passage runs to about 671 words.
- Read plainly, it mentions property — it addresses property, possession, or taking property compulsorily (the words used: “property”).
The index holds no article number for this record. Cite the passage itself rather than a section number.
This index row contains 5 separately numbered sections, so it is a chapter-length passage rather than one provision. Cite the passage, and treat any single section number as unverified.
This is a mechanical reading aid generated from the text above by matching words in it. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer’s interpretation, and not a substitute for the provision itself.
How to cite this
Constitution of Ghana, passage filed under chapter “Chapter TWENTY: FOUR”, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelaw.com/provision/8bf3756c-030e-4b57-9f63-603383ae5e79 (accessed 27 September 2026).
Canonical URL: https://www.portablelaw.com/provision/8bf3756c-030e-4b57-9f63-603383ae5e79
Accessed 27 September 2026.
Link to the canonical URL above, not to a #section-… fragment on the jurisdiction page — the fragment is a scroll position, this URL is the provision.
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