Birth certificates do not demonstrate citizenship, according to the nominee for chief justice
A birth certificate does not demonstrate citizenship, according to Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, the candidate for Chief Justice.
The paper, according to Justice Torkornoo, is the first step in figuring out one’s nationality.
On Friday, May 26, she responded to inquiries from the Appointments Committee by stating that a birth certificate is just a requirement around the world.
She asserts that a person’s citizenship or lack thereof is determined by their ancestry.
“Nationality and citizenship both fall under the purview of the law. Being born there may confer citizenship in some jurisdictions, however, in our nation, being born in Ghana does not confer citizenship in Ghana.
“It is your relationship with your mother, it is your mother’s identity, your father’s identity, it is your lineage that determines your citizenship.”
So that form [birth certificate] is just an international requirement, we must know where everyone is born. But beyond that, your nationality is derived from that form, the evidence on that form,” she said.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that a birth certificate cannot be proof of citizenship.
The apex court ruled that a birth certificate does not satisfy the requirements of Article 42 of the Constitution.
“A birth certificate is not a form of identification. It does not establish the identity of the bearer. Nor does it link the holder with the information on the certificate.
Quite obviously, it provides no evidence of citizenship,” the Supreme Court ruling said.