The Attorney-General (AG) and Minister for Justice Godfred Yeboah Dame has described a petition to the Commonwealth Secretariat by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over what it described as persecution of its supporters as a “rues.”
According to the AG, the NDC’s recourse to foreign tribunals is an attempt to avoid facing justice on the alleged infractions they have caused the nation.
The opposition NDC on Monday, February 28, indicated it has petitioned the Commonwealth Secretariat over treatment to its members by government.
The NDC said, the Akufo-Addo led administration is using state agencies like the judiciary to harass its members.
“Since assuming power in 2016 the message of physical violence against political opponents that President Nana Addo Danquah preached and championed before 2016 General Election has turned into structural institutional and systematic forms of violence in the form of human rights violations, harassment and political persecution against members and supporters the National Democratic Congress,” the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah told the media in a press conference.
Reacting to the petition after a Supreme Court hearing in Accra, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the AG said “It is a hypocritical and misleading statement because clearly for me it is an attempt to run away from Justice”.
“All the government has sought to do is to ensure that the NDC and its officers are just brought to book. And indeed, I will not be deterred at all in my quest to ensure that, there is accountability to the people of Ghana,” Mr Dame stated.
The AG said, the cases that “we have investigated and the actions that we have filed in court are all on accounts of solid evidence that we have unearthed through painstaking investigations.”
He said, “We do not just come to court….. without any basis at all. But, as a result of thorough and painstaking investigations conducted by the government.”
Months of investigations
He explained that, on some of the cases, investigations have gone on for about five or six years and indeed “we are seeing the results of the actions and therefore I find very hypocritical and misleading for the NDC or its general secretary to make such allegation.”
Mr Dame said, no amount of destruction will deter him from ensuring that justice is sought for the people of Ghana.
“Look at the facts of the Ato Forson’s matter, the facts show clearly that, no parliamentary prior approval was sought for the transaction involving Bigsea, (a foreign entity)…..There was no approval by parliament, and indeed the facts also show that all the necessary relevant agreements governing the transaction were violated,” AG stated.
He wondered why as a results of that transaction, a financial loss is caused to the state, “how can it be wrong for a criminal action to be mounted against you.”
Mount credible defence
The AG thinks that, the NDC, “rather than resorting to all these shenanigans, they ought to properly put their house in order and mount a credible defence to the actions.”
“The defence must be mounted in the court and not in the court of public opinion, I mean the law court,” he added.
Weaponising the court
Touching on the allegation of the state weaponising the Judiciary, he said “it constitutes a clear attempt to undermine the efficient administration of justice on the country.”
He added that, such allegation “constitutes an attempt to interfere with sound administration of justice and that bothers on contempt of court.”
The AG said, ” no foreign entity can influence or interfere with the course of justice in the country. Justice emanates from the people of Ghana and the Constitution makes the Supreme Court of Ghana, the highest Court of the country and decisions of the Supreme Court of Ghana is not subject to review by any foreign body.”
He said, all these attempts by the NDC is actually an attempt to infringe on the sovereignty of Ghana,” and that, “Sovereignty under Article 1 resides in the people of Ghana and the Constitution which is the fundamental.
Unnecessary destruction
He said, the petition is an unnecessary destruction which of course will amount to not.
“It is only a clear case of palpable violation of human rights that a foreign court, African court for human rights may intervene,” the AG noted.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Murtala Inusah
