Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem Sai has dismissed the perception that the government’s anti-corruption campaign targets only a few high-profile individuals, arguing that several former officials are quietly cooperating with ongoing investigations.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, June 11, Dr. Srem Sai said public focus on a handful of prominent cases has created the false impression of selective justice.
“I appreciate the demeanour of a lot of the government appointees,” he noted.
“Once in a while, you hear that someone has been picked up, or someone has been invited, and then there’s a whole lot of noise. But I can tell you, a large number of the persons who have been arrested, are now on bail, or under investigation, are quiet. They will not make any noise about it.”
According to him, many former ministers and public officeholders are cooperating respectfully and discreetly with law enforcement.
“Some of them believe the process must be followed,” he said. “It’s only a few who, once in a while, go to the media, and then you see people massing up to go to EOCO. But there are a lot who go quietly, do what is required, and move on without fanfare.”
Dr. Srem Sai made these remarks in response to concerns that recent prosecutions have been politically motivated or selectively applied.
He emphasized that not every investigation results in prosecution, and not every official associated with a controversial ministry is necessarily criminally liable.
“If you take the SkyTrain case, for instance,” he said, “former Attorney General and later Railway Minister Joe Ghartey was invited. He explained his side of the story. When you look at the charge sheet for the SkyTrain case, his name is not on it.”
He clarified that mere association with a ministry or project under investigation does not automatically imply guilt.
“The fact that you were a minister at the time doesn’t mean you are criminally liable for anything,” he stated. “There are things that can happen in a ministry that may not be your doing. So the fact that you are ‘Minister One’ doesn’t make you guilty whenever there is a crime.”
He stressed the importance of due process:
“The fact that you’ve been invited for questioning doesn’t mean that you are guilty. And as I’ve explained, the process doesn’t automatically or immediately take you to court. You go to court only when the evidence shows that there’s a crime.”
Host Evans Mensah pointed to a recent example to support Dr. Srem Sai’s point.
“Just two weeks ago,” he said, “Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh himself revealed that he’s being investigated by the NIB. He said he’s been going there for a while, but no one knew until he said it publicly.”
Dr. Srem Sai confirmed that the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) is investigating multiple projects initiated during Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s tenure as Minister for Education and later Energy.
“A number of things,” he said. “We have projects that were undertaken during his time. So he would definitely be answering questions in respect of that. You know, the mathematical sets issue—those would fall under his ministry.”
Once again, Dr. Srem Sai underlined that accountability must be rooted in evidence—not assumption or public sentiment.
“You will not be prosecuted unless there is evidence that you were complicit in some of the things you undertook,” he stressed.
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