Former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fuseini, has stressed that prosecutors must focus on achieving justice rather than merely securing convictions, following the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, August 1, Mr Fuseini said the ruling was a reminder that Ghana’s criminal justice system must uphold the principle that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution must always seek justice in the matter and not be in a hurry to convict,” he said.
According to the former Tamale Central Member of Parliament, prosecutors who prioritise convictions over justice risk undermining public confidence in the criminal justice system.
“It’s an overzealous prosecutor who puts conviction over justice,” he stated.
Mr Fuseini further argued that circumstances surrounding an accused person, including leaving the jurisdiction or being absent during trial, should not reduce the prosecution’s responsibility to prove its case to the required legal standard.
“Running away or being outside the jurisdiction should not relieve the prosecution of their burden to prove beyond reasonable doubt,” he added.
His comments follow the Court of Appeal’s decision on Thursday to overturn Ms Tamakloe-Attionu’s conviction and 10-year prison sentence.
The appellate court held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently set aside the convictions entered against the former MASLOC boss by the High Court.
Ms Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted in absentia before she was extradited from the United States to Ghana on June 9, 2026. She began serving her sentence at the Nsawam Medium Security Female Prison on June 24 before successfully challenging the conviction at the Court of Appeal.
Following the judgment, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced that the state would appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, indicating that the legal battle over the high-profile case is not yet over.
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