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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">&nbsp;</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              NOTARIES PUBLIC ACT, 1960 (ACT 26)</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">&nbsp;</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS</span></p>
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                                              Section</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              1.&nbsp; Appointment</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              2.&nbsp; Oath to be taken on 
                                              appointment</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              3.&nbsp; The Roll of Notaries Public</span></p>
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                                              4.&nbsp; Notaries to be officers of 
                                              Court</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              5.&nbsp; Penalty for unqualified 
                                              persons acting</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              6.&nbsp; Notary to refuse to act in 
                                              certain cases, subject to appeal 
                                              to Court</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              7.&nbsp; Duty in case of refusal</span></p>
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                                              8.&nbsp; Penalty for misfeasance</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              9.&nbsp; Fees</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              10. Diplomatic and consular 
                                              representatives abroad</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              11. District Magistrates to have 
                                              powers of notaries public</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              12. Definitions</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              13. Repeal</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family:Arial"></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">&nbsp;</p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              ACT</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              OF THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC 
                                              OF GHANA</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              ENTITLED</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              NOTARIES PUBLIC ACT, 1960</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              AN ACT to consolidate the law 
                                              relating to notaries public.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              DATE OF ASSENT: 22nd December, 
                                              1960.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              BE IT ENACTED by the President and 
                                              the National Assembly in this 
                                              present Parliament assembly as 
                                              follows:&#8212;</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 1&#8212;Appointment.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              The Chief Justice may appoint to 
                                              be a notary public any person whom 
                                              he considers fit and proper to 
                                              discharge the duties assigned to 
                                              that office by law or by the 
                                              practice of commerce.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 2&#8212;Oath to be taken on 
                                              Appointment.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Every person so appointed shall 
                                              before entering upon the duties of 
                                              his office be sworn before the 
                                              Chief Justice or before a Judge of 
                                              the Supreme Court or High Court 
                                              well and faithfully to discharge 
                                              the duties of the office and shall 
                                              pay the stamp duty prescribed by 
                                              law.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 3&#8212;The Roll of Notaries 
                                              Public.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (1) The Roll of the Supreme Court 
                                              in which the names of notaries 
                                              public are enrolled shall be known 
                                              as the Roll of Notaries Public and 
                                              shall be kept&nbsp; by the Judicial 
                                              Secretary.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (2) Upon complying with section 2 
                                              of this Act, a person appointed to 
                                              be a notary public shall be 
                                              enrolled and shall be granted a 
                                              certificate of enrolment under the 
                                              seal of the Court.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (3) A person whose name is not 
                                              enrolled shall not be entitled to 
                                              perform the functions of a notary 
                                              public, except as otherwise 
                                              provided by this Act.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 4&#8212;Notaries to be Officers 
                                              of Court.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Every notary public shall be an 
                                              officer of the Courts, and the 
                                              Supreme Court may for reasonable 
                                              cause suspend any notary from 
                                              practising during any specified 
                                              period, or order his name to be 
                                              struck off the Roll, and any Judge 
                                              of the Supreme Court or High Court 
                                              may suspend any notary 
                                              temporarily, pending a reference 
                                              to and confirmation or 
                                              disallowance of the suspension by 
                                              the Supreme Court.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 5&#8212;Penalty for Unqualified 
                                              Persons Acting.</span></b></p>
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                                              Any person who purports to act in 
                                              the capacity of notary public, 
                                              other than a person authorised so 
                                              to do by this Act, is guilty of an 
                                              offence and is liable to a fine 
                                              not exceeding fifty pounds.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 6&#8212;Notary to Refuse to Act 
                                              in Certain Cases, Subject to, 
                                              Appeal to Court.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (1) In all cases where the 
                                              circumstances appear to the notary 
                                              suspicious and not warranting the 
                                              notarial act demanded, the notary 
                                              shall refuse to act.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (2) Any person who considers 
                                              himself aggrieved by the refusal 
                                              may apply to the High Court for an 
                                              order calling upon the notary to 
                                              act in the execution of his 
                                              office. Before applying for the 
                                              order the aggrieved person shall 
                                              cause reasonable notice of the 
                                              application to be given to the 
                                              notary refusing to act and to such 
                                              person, if any, in the State as 
                                              may be interested in the subject 
                                              of the notarial act demanded.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 7&#8212;Duty in Case of Refusal.</span></b></p>
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                                              Whenever a notary refuses to act 
                                              as aforesaid he shall mark upon 
                                              the document in respect of which 
                                              the notarial act is demanded his 
                                              refusal, together with his 
                                              signature and the date of the 
                                              refusal.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 8&#8212;Penalty for Misfeasance.</span></b></p>
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                                              Any notary public or other person 
                                              who wilfully certifies or 
                                              propounds any false statement or 
                                              document, or who fraudulently and 
                                              with intent to deceive, conceals, 
                                              witholds, or perverts any fact or 
                                              document pertinent to the subject 
                                              of a notarial act is guilty of a 
                                              misdemeanour.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 9&#8212;Fees.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (1) The fees for discharging the 
                                              duties of a notary public may be 
                                              prescribed by the Minister by 
                                              executive instrument.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (2) Any fees received by a public 
                                              officer for the discharge of 
                                              notarial duties shall form part of 
                                              the public revenues and shall be 
                                              paid by the officer into the 
                                              Accountant-General's Department.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              (3) Until fees are prescribed the 
                                              fees payable immediately before 
                                              the passing of this Act shall 
                                              continue to be payable.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 10&#8212;Diplomatic and Consular 
                                              Representatives Abroad.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Every ambassador, minister, 
                                              diplomatic agent and consular 
                                              officer of Ghana in any foreign 
                                              country may do any notarial act 
                                              which any notary public may do 
                                              within the State and every oath, 
                                              affidavit, and notarial act made 
                                              or done by or before such a person 
                                              is as effectual as if made or done 
                                              by or before any lawful authority 
                                              in the State.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 11&#8212;District Magistrates to 
                                              have Powers of Notaries Public.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              All District Magistrates shall 
                                              have and may exercise the 
                                              functions of a notary public; 
                                              provided that in any town in which 
                                              a notary public is available, the 
                                              functions exercisable by 
                                              Magistrates shall be limited to 
                                              the following matters, namely, the 
                                              certification of acts of honour, 
                                              the authentication of instruments, 
                                              the certification of copies of 
                                              instruments and the attestation of 
                                              instruments.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 12&#8212;Definitions.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              In this Act&#8212;</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              &quot;enrolled&quot; means enrolled in the 
                                              Roll of Notaries Public;</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              &quot;the Minister&quot; means the Minister 
                                              to whom functions under this Act 
                                              are for the time being assigned by 
                                              the President.</span></p>
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                                              <b>
                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              Section 13&#8212;Repeal.</span></b></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">
                                              The Notaries Public Ordinance 
                                              (Cap. 7) is repealed.</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">&nbsp;</span></p>
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                                              <span style="font-family: Arial">&nbsp;</span></td>
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