Civil society group, Road Safety Advocates Ghana, has sued government over the branding of Metro Mass Transit buses with images of President Mahama and political leaders.

According to the group, the material used for branding the bus breaches the law.“A person may drive a motor vehicle which has glass other than windscreen and front glass, tinted with light transmittance of at least 70% to allow the occupants to see and be seen if the form or tinting material applied to the windscreen or window is free from bubbles or scratches or the form or material applied to the window…does not reduce the visibility of the person driving the motor vehicle in any direction,” counsel for the group, Kwabena Kunadu-Yiadom told Accra-based Joy FM.

“We are not so much interest in the president or the other former heads of state…we are interested in the materials or the fixtures used. If in the process the effigies are removed [then] fine”, he added.

The branding of the new Chinese Huanghai buses for the MMT with portraits of John Mahama and past presidents caused public outcry, resulting in the resignation of the Minister of Transport, Ms Dzifa Attivor, in December.

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Subsequently, the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, ordered the Attorney General to probe the contract and report back to him.

The Attorney General presented her report on December 22, 2015, directing the refunding of money found to have been overpaid to Smarttys in the contract.