Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Lawyer Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has defended the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, over his decision to discontinue the criminal case against Dr. Kwabena Duffour and seven others.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem, the seasoned lawyer stated that the Attorney-General acted within the law and should not be criticised.
“He has not erred at all. He is using the law to ensure justice for all parties, and I think he rather needs to be encouraged,” lawyer Ansa-Asare said.
According to him, the decision to halt the prosecution was based on proper legal processes, particularly under Ghana’s plea bargain law, which he described as a legitimate tool in the administration of justice.
“I didn’t like how the trial of Dr. Duffour was going in the first place. If the new Attorney-General has come in and decided to do things differently using the law, then that is the right thing to do,” he added.
Lawyer Ansa-Asare stressed the need for transparency in such decisions but maintained that the Attorney-General’s actions appeared to have followed due process.
“So far, what the AG is doing shows that he is correcting some of the wrongs from the previous administration. We need to take politics out of our legal system and allow the law to work,” he stressed.
The case against Dr. Duffour and others stemmed from alleged financial crimes uncovered during the Bank of Ghana’s financial sector clean-up, with UniBank at the center of the controversy. Authorities reported that over GH¢5.7 billion was unaccounted for.
The Attorney-General recently entered a nolle prosequi—a legal decision to drop the case—citing the national interest and a legal benchmark reportedly met by the accused.
However, the Minority in Parliament has strongly opposed the move and has threatened legal action if the decision is not reversed.
Despite this, the ace lawyer believes the Attorney-General must be allowed to carry out his mandate without undue political interference.
Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy
ALSO:
- Minority threatens legal action over discontinuation of UniBank case
- EOCO completes probe into Wontumi, former Buffer Stock CEO cases
- Eight suspects seek plea bargains in National Service Authority scandal
