|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has launched a scathing attack on his successor, Dr. Dominic Ayine, accusing him of politically motivated interference in the justice system following the mass withdrawal of high-profile criminal cases.
Addressing the media on Friday, February 14, 2025, Dame described Ayine’s actions as “a calculated, preconceived ploy on the part of the NDC to wipe out all criminal cases pending against its leading members.”
Dame’s remarks follow Ayine’s decision to discontinue several high-profile prosecutions, including cases involving former NDC officials such as Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Dr. Stephen Opuni, and Collins Dauda. The former Attorney General alleged that Ayine’s decisions were in line with the NDC government’s broader political agenda rather than sound legal reasoning.
“These developments irresistibly point to only one conclusion – a calculated, preconceived ploy on the part of the NDC to wipe out all criminal cases pending against its leading members and officials of the John Mahama Government,”Dame stated.
He further questioned the motives behind the withdrawals, arguing that the cases involved billions of cedis in public funds and should have been allowed to proceed in court. Dame insisted that Ayine’s justification for the discontinuations was baseless, adding that “there is no precedent for this kind of conduct in the Fourth Republic.”
According to Dame, his successor’s reliance on defense counsel to justify the case withdrawals was highly problematic and raised concerns about the impartiality of the Attorney General’s office.
“The people of Ghana should be very scared if we have an Attorney-General whose prime consideration for the discontinuation of criminal cases is the position of defense lawyers rather than the interests of the Republic,”he warned.
Dame also took issue with what he described as an attack on the judiciary, accusing Ayine of attempting to discredit judges who had previously ruled against NDC officials. “The Judiciary was not spared the brush of the Attorney-General’s unwarranted scathing attacks,” he noted, suggesting that such actions were part of a broader strategy by the NDC to undermine the rule of law.
The former Attorney General also refuted allegations of misconduct in the prosecution of Dr. Ato Forson in the controversial ambulance case, arguing that Ayine’s claims were based on political bias rather than legal fact. He challenged Ayine to provide evidence of internal legal recommendations supporting the case withdrawals.
Dame concluded by insisting that Ayine’s actions set a dangerous precedent and undermined public trust in Ghana’s judicial system. “The President, through his Attorney-General, has in a spectacular fashion, become the clearing agent to indemnify their allies who have duly been put before the courts for the commission of crimes,” he said.
Email Daily Mail GH: stories@dailymailgh.com or
Whatsapp: +233(0)509928122
