Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has defended his office’s decision to appeal the Court of Appeal’s ruling that acquitted former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, insisting the move is driven by legal principles and the pursuit of accountability.
The Court of Appeal recently overturned the 10-year prison sentence imposed on Madam Tamakloe Attionu, acquitting and discharging her on all charges after ruling that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The unanimous decision was delivered by a three-member panel comprising Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe and Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo, who held that the evidence presented by the prosecution did not meet the required legal threshold for a conviction.
Speaking on Thursday, July 30, after presenting government’s response to the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Dr Ayine said he had not yet studied the full judgment of the Court of Appeal and was therefore unable to comment on the merits of the decision.
“As a lawyer of many years’ standing, I will not comment on a matter until I have read the judgment, and I have not read the judgment of the Court of Appeal. It has been sent to me; I have not read it,” he said.
However, the Attorney General maintained that the decision to challenge the ruling was a professional one and insisted he remained convinced that the appeal should proceed.
“I took the professional decision, and I stand by it in principle that the appeal should be opposed,” Dr Ayine stated.
He explained that although the case and the related extradition request were inherited from the previous administration, his office had a responsibility to continue with the matter because government is a continuous institution.
“I inherited the docket, I inherited the extradition request, but government is a continuum. I reviewed the documents and I worked on them,” he said.
Dr Ayine stressed that the appeal was aimed at upholding accountability and should not be interpreted as a personal or political attack against Madam Tamakloe Attionu.
“So, this is a principle stance and it is a stance about accountability for this country,” he added.
The Attorney General also dismissed suggestions that the appeal was influenced by personal relationships or political considerations, disclosing that he shares a personal friendship with the former MASLOC boss.
“It’s not about individuals. If it were about individuals, let me tell you, Sedina is my friend. She’s my personal friend. It’s not about personalities. It’s about this country,” he said.
Responding to claims that the appeal was intended to protect his reputation or that of the government, Dr Ayine said such considerations did not influence his decision.
“I am not the type of person who fears losing face. I am not doing this because I want to save face for either myself or the President of the Republic,” he stated.
He added that his decision was based on legal considerations and advice from officials within the Attorney General’s Department.
“I’m doing it based upon professional considerations and also on the advice of the excellent men and women who work with me at the Attorney General’s Department,” Dr Ayine said.
The Attorney General indicated that his office would review the Court of Appeal’s judgment thoroughly before filing detailed grounds of appeal at the Supreme Court.
“We’ll review the judgment. You will see the grounds of appeal, and I’m sure at that point in time we can all have a discussion as to whether or not the appeal has any merit,” he said.
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