Former Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah Yeboah has expressed disappointment over the decision to discontinue the prosecution of individuals linked to the collapse of UniBank, describing the move as unjustified and premature.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Yeboah insisted that the case was progressing steadily with a strong commitment to recovering lost funds. He said he would be surprised if the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, claimed the prosecution was unduly delayed.
The Attorney-General recently entered a nolle prosequi—a legal move to end the case—citing national interest and a supposed legal benchmark met by the accused persons. He further stated at a press conference that the case lacked strength and had minimal prospects of securing a conviction.
But Mr. Yeboah rejected that reasoning, arguing that the prosecution had made significant progress and deserved to be pursued to the end.
“Respectfully, I disagree with the learned AG. This case happened in 2020, so it is not even up to six years. We called the receiver; in fact, he was our star witness,” he said.
He explained that the receiver, appointed by the Bank of Ghana, examined UniBank’s books and provided the figures that formed the basis for the charges. According to him, the case had already gone through extensive legal scrutiny, including pre-trial motions and proceedings at the Court of Appeal.
“This is a case where we took a serious test; we filed our charges and lined up our witnesses to prosecute it. It went to the Court of Appeal; it came back, and we reached various objections.”
Mr. Tuah Yeboah also rejected suggestions that the charges were weak.
“I heard the A-G say that he has examined the file and realised that the charges are weak and the possibility of conviction was very minimal. I beg to differ,” he stressed.
He added that prosecuting financial crimes was often slow and complex, given that accused persons typically have the resources to mount strong legal defences.
“If he is being candid with Ghanaians, he knows that prosecuting such cases is always difficult. They have the means to hire the best lawyers and defend themselves thoroughly. Why expect a rushed outcome?”
The case against Dr. Kwabena Duffour and others stemmed from allegations of financial misconduct during the Bank of Ghana’s financial sector clean-up. Authorities estimated that more than GH¢5.7 billion was unaccounted for in the UniBank saga.
Meanwhile, the decision has drawn sharp criticism, with the Minority in Parliament threatening legal action should the Attorney-General fail to reverse his position.
Gertrude Otchere
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