Lawyer for former National Signals Bureau Director-General, Kwabena Adu-Boahene, Samuel Atta Akyea, has accused the Attorney General of shaping public perception against his clients before the case was even heard in court.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Mr. Atta Akyea argued that comments made by the Attorney General prior to the arraignment of the accused persons created the impression that they had already been found guilty.
“I have to tell you that it was the Attorney General who concluded that before they were arraigned before a court of law, my clients were guilty,” he said.
According to him, a highly publicised press conference by the Attorney General suggested that the evidence against the accused was overwhelming and that they should consider plea bargaining arrangements.
“If you pay regard to the well-choreographed press conference at the instance of the Attorney General, he was so clear that they should come for plea bargaining because of the kind of evidence he has against them. The Attorney General was acting as both prosecutor and judge at the same time,” he stated.
Mr. Atta Akyea further contended that the manner in which the allegations were presented to the public through the media created undue prejudice against the accused before the prosecution had the opportunity to prove its case in court.
“This is what they sold to the press, and then they had to come to court and prove the matter beyond reasonable doubt,” he added.
The former MP maintained that the evidence emerging during the trial differs from the narrative that has dominated public discourse since the allegations first became public.
“There has been a lot of poison in the media space already, but the story in court is different,” he said.
His comments come as Mr. Adu-Boahene stands trial over allegations of misappropriating GH¢49.1 million in state funds earmarked for the procurement of cyber-defence software for the state.
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