The lawyer disclosed that he has ceased all communication with Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine, citing concerns that their conversations might be recorded and misrepresented.

This development follows an Accra High Court ruling to remand Adu-Boahene in EOCO custody for seven working days to allow the Attorney General’s office time to complete witness statements.

The case has been adjourned to May 13 for further directions.

Atta Akyea accused the prosecution of employing delay tactics and acting in bad faith.

He said he would no longer engage with the Attorney General, expressing fears that any communication could be leaked or distorted.

“I don’t want to eat a meal which is not cooked. I thought we should wait. And then what they [Attorney General] said in the press, that they will never prosecute anybody unless they have all the evidence – you see, this cancels the initial position. We don’t have the evidence, but we rushed the man to court and then plead with the court for more time.”

The lawyer insisted his client deserves a fair trial, free from procedural manipulation.

“That is a travesty of justice – playing with the liberty of the individual,” he told journalists at the court premises.

The court ruling followed previous proceedings that were adjourned to consider a bail application.

Prosecutors argued they needed more time to prepare their case. EOCO officials subsequently took Adu-Boahene into custody immediately after the court’s decision.

Background

Attorney General Dominic Ayine has formally charged the former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau, Kwabena Adu-Boahene, and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, with corruption-related offences amounting to several millions of cedis.

Alongside two others – Mildred Donkor and Advantage Solutions Limited – they face 11 counts, including stealing, money laundering, defrauding by false pretences, and wilfully causing financial loss.

According to court documents filed on Wednesday, April 30, Adu-Boahene, who oversaw critical national security infrastructure, including contracts with foreign entities, signed a $7 million deal with Israeli firm ISC Holdings Limited to procure cyber defence software.

He is alleged to have diverted approximately GH¢49 million (around $7 million) from NSB funds into his personal accounts, falsely claiming the transactions were legitimate payments for the software, in collusion with his accomplice.

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He emphasized that effective criminal prosecution begins with a solid national legal foundation, stating, a robust legal system at the national level is essential to investigating and prosecuting international crimes independently.

Speaking at the 23rd Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Dame stressed the need to reduce dependency on external judicial bodies by establishing strong, self-sufficient national legal systems.

He further noted that the ICC, while crucial, cannot address all international crimes that occur within individual countries’ jurisdictions.
Dame suggested that African countries should consider adopting the Rome Statute or creating specific laws that classify crimes such as war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, ensuring that punishments align with international standards.

He argued that this approach would demonstrate national sovereignty and reduce the need for ICC intervention by promoting accountability within domestic systems.

Linking strong legal frameworks to the broader principles of democracy, Dame pointed out that a democratic society, grounded in constitutional governance, security, and freedom of expression, inherently reduces the chances of atrocities like genocide and war crimes.

The Attorney General also discussed the ICC’s principle of complementarity, which prioritizes national efforts to prosecute international crimes before involving international courts.

He praised the Court’s global efforts but stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships with local authorities to build national capabilities that support the ICC’s work. He referenced the Central African Republic as a successful example of such collaboration.

Mr Dame reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to the ICC’s mission and pledged continued support for the Court’s efforts. However, he also stressed the importance of geographical neutrality in the ICC’s approach to justice.

He welcomed recent ICC initiatives, including investigations outside of Africa and the establishment of field offices, which he believes will help combat perceptions of bias. Dame also voiced support for ongoing ICC reforms, such as the Review Mechanism and the Independent Oversight Mechanism, aimed at improving the Court’s efficiency.

In terms of ICC staffing, Dame called for fairness in recruitment, advocating for geographical and gender diversity. He argued that a diverse workforce would enhance the Court’s effectiveness by incorporating a range of perspectives and experiences.

Additionally, he mentioned the Africa Centre for International Criminal Justice (ACICJ) at the GIMPA Law School as an example of the country’s dedication to the ICC’s mission.

“If they want, they can do so by giving me a bed to sleep in the court to enable me to attend the court, but the New Patriotic Party will lose the bye-election,” he said.

“They can further give me a chamber to sleep in the court, but Assin North will fall to me,” he noted.

Mr Quayson, who is also the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate for the Assin North bye-election slated for June 27, 2023, made these comments in reaction to the court’s decision to hear his perjury case daily.

Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM, he said, “They can share money ahead of the bye-election, but the people will vote against them.

“I want to even disguise myself and collect some of the money and distribute it to the chiefs and people of the area,” he added.

He commented on developmental efforts, which are claimed to be the government’s move to woo the people of the constituency.

He noted that the people of the area deserve development, and if the government is bringing it because of the bye-election, there is nothing wrong with it.

The perjury and forgery trial against James Gyakye Quayson will be heard on a day-to-day basis beginning Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the High Court ruled.

This comes after the court, presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, turned down a prayer by Quayson’s lawyer, Justin Terriwajjah, seeking to have the trial continued after the Assin North bye-election slated for June 27, 2023.

The counsel argued that his client was embarking on national duty in a bid to represent the people of Assin North in parliament, hence the need to continue the trial after the bye-election for Quayson to have a level playing field in the campaign.

However, the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, who described the decision by Mr Quayson to contest the bye-election as a “voluntary and selfish quest,” opposed the prayer, stressing that nobody had given Mr Quayson a national assignment.

He argued that considering the charges levelled against Mr Quayson, he could be convicted and jailed if found guilty, hence the need to try the case expeditiously to bring clarity on Mr Quayson’s status.

He, therefore, prayed the court to hear the case on a day-to-day basis, beginning next week.

Mr Terriwajjah agreed to the trial being conducted on a day-to-day basis but prayed for that to be done only after the bye-election.

His prayer was dismissed subsequently by the court.

The court has since fixed June 20, 21, and 23 for the trial to continue.

Mr Quayson, who is facing charges of forgery and perjury concerning certain alleged offences in the run-up to the 2020 Assin North parliamentary election, will have his lawyers continue the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.

The accused, Mr Quayson, was present in court.

State prosecutors have charged Mr Quayson with five counts of forgery of a passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration for office.

Charges

It is the case of the prosecution that Mr Quayson allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office that he did not hold a passport to another country when he applied for a Ghanaian passport.

In addition, the prosecution has accused Mr Quayson of making a false declaration to the Electoral Commission to the effect that he (Quayson) did not owe any allegiance to a foreign country when he filed to contest as a candidate for the Assin North seat.

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He observed that the government’s efforts at widening the tax net and consequently prosecuting its development agenda are being frustrated by some big oil companies.

According to him, EOCO in the past had reneged on its role in the recovery of proceeds of crime over the years.

Speaking after the inauguration of the governing board of EOCO on Wednesday, March 2, Mr Dame said the mandate to recover proceeds of crimes makes EOCO a revenue-generating organisation for the government.

He said “On my working visit to the offices of EOCO recently, I felt constraint to make the remark about the relatively low record of money it had recovered from the proceeds of crime.

“It is undesirable for perpetrators of economic crime to conceal or keep the fruits of the crimes against the people of Ghana. Such a situation breeds mistrust in the system and rubs the nation with the much-needed revenue for the executive of lofty development projects.

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“In my respectful view, the mandate to recover proceeds of crime is one that places EOCO squarely in the position to contribute to the national purse by being a major generator of revenue.

“I implore the new board to formulate policies and superintend the affairs of the organisation in the manner so as to efficiently boost its recovery of proceeds of crime.”

The deal is the culmination of months of negotiations between the Office of the A-G and the Scholarship Secretariat, on the one hand, and the Office of the A-G and the Georgetown University Law Center, on the other.

The agreement seeks to implement a joint graduate scholarship programme over the next five years and results from an intention to strengthen the ties between Georgetown University and the legal fraternity in Ghana, enhance the linkages between the people of Ghana and those of the USA and improve cooperation between the two countries in the field of legal education.

It was made official last Thursday when the Attorney-General visited the USA last week.

Mr Dame signed the agreement for the A-G’s Office, while the Executive Vice-President and Dean of the Georgetown University Law Center, Professor William M. Treanor, signed for his institution.

Under the agreement, the Georgetown Law Center, in collaboration with the Scholarship Secretariat, will offer scholarships to five Ghanaians selected by a selection committee every year, to pursue Master of Laws (LLM) and doctorate in Law (SJD) degrees every year for the next five years.

The committee will be set up between the two parties and chaired by a Ghanaian alumnus of the Georgetown Law Center.

The agreement comes into force immediately and will admit students to the Georgetown Law Center from 2022.

Shaping Ghana’s development agenda

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Washington DC, Mr Dame expressed his delight at the opportunities the programme offered, saying they would further help enhance Ghana’s bar.

He said it was significant that Georgetown was not only famed for its tradition of training lawyers but had also made an impact on the Judiciary, the Legislature and the business world.

“Georgetown has had a relatively long tradition of training lawyers, since 1870. The quality of the training imparted by Georgetown is reflected in the soundness of the contribution by its alumni to the development of America and the world.

“It has produced alumni who have served and continue to serve in important offices of the Federal Government of the United States, the judiciary, the legislature, the business world and academia,” he said.

“I have no doubt that the richness of its Law Faculty will positively impact on the number of Ghanaian lawyers and law graduates to profit from this agreement,” the A-G intimated.

He also said the breadth of programmes the Georgetown Law Center offered would be of immense benefit to Ghana.

“The breadth of programmes the Georgetown Law Center offers is the most diverse in the United States. Courses such as international economic law, arbitration and dispute resolution, securities and financial regulation and national security law will be of immense assistance in the shaping of the developmental agenda of Ghana,” he stressed.

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Functional legal system

The A-G also said the agreement was further proof of his desire to ensure that Ghana had a functional and relevant legal system that was good enough to meet the challenges of an emerging economy.

“This agreement is in furtherance of my desire to ensure that Ghana has a functional and relevant legal system capable of meeting the challenges of an emerging economy, and that lawyers are equipped with the skills required in a modern economy.

“In this regard, back home, the government has already taken significant steps with the massive increase in student admission to the Ghana Law School last year, coupled with the ongoing construction of the Law Village Complex, as well as the steady construction of a new 12-storey building for the Office of the A-G.

“I assure you of the quality of Ghanaian law graduates and lawyers to be selected for the pursuit of the programme. I believe the quality of the products will compel you to increase the scholarships to afford more Ghanaians the opportunity to pursue the programmes in the next few years,” Mr Dame said.

Prof. Treanor expressed his delight at the personal leadership of the A-G in the development of the programme and the signing of the agreement.

He expressed the hope that with the A-G’s leadership, further areas of cooperation with the Georgetown University Law Center, particularly in the training of judges, could be explored in the very near future.

The Dean of International and Graduate Programmes at the Georgetown University, Prof. Madhavi Sunder, who was also at the signing ceremony, expressed satisfaction with the partnership and hoped that it would be expanded in the near future to create more opportunities and benefits for Ghana and the Georgetown Law Center.

Scholarship Secretariat

Providing further details on the programme, the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Mr. Kingsley Agyemang, said Georgetown would provide a substantial amount of money to cater for the cost of tuition for the beneficiaries, while the secretariat would provide the remaining cost of tuition, as well as cater for the welfare of the students.

“Georgetown has agreed to fund a substantial part of the cost of tuition for students, while the government of Ghana will fund the rest, in addition to costs associated with our duty of care of Ghanaian students under our patronage.

“For this, we have the A-G to thank. His initiative has brought us to this point,” he indicated.

Georgetown University

The Georgetown University is a private university in Washington, DC.

It is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit higher educational institution in the US, founded in 1789 by John Carroll, the first Bishop and Archbishop of the US, in the national capital of the United States.

Famous alumni include two former US presidents, Bill Clinton and Lyndon Johnson, as well as several other Heads of State, including King Felipe VI of Spain and King Abdullah II of Jordan.