Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has strongly criticized his successor, Dr. Dominic Ayine, accusing him of peddling falsehoods and undermining the judiciary in his justification for withdrawing charges in the high-profile UT Bank and Opuni cases.
Addressing Journalists in Accra on Friday, Mr. Dame refuted claims by Dr. Ayine that a memo discussing a GHC450 million transaction linked to the Unibank case also covered the UT Bank case.
According to Mr. Dame, the GHC450 million sum pertained solely to the Unibank case, while the UT Bank matter involved a separate GHC460 million facility approved by Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, allegedly in violation of single obligor limits.
Mr. Dame accused Dr. Ayine of securing the acquittal of Johnson Asiama in the UT Bank case through what he described as a "backdoor" approach, highlighting that the prosecution had already closed its case before the Attorney-General’s withdrawal led to an acquittal and discharge.
Turning to the Stephen Opuni case, which involved an alleged GHC271 million loss to the state, Mr. Dame criticized Dr. Ayine for adopting the same arguments previously advanced by the defense.
He questioned why the Attorney-General would withdraw charges after both the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court had ruled that Dr. Opuni and his co-accused had a case to answer.
"If the new Attorney-General believed the accused had a strong case, why not allow the trial to conclude rather than bailing them out with a withdrawal of charges?" Mr. Dame queried.
Mr. Dame also condemned what he termed as an "unprofessional" attack on the judiciary by Dr. Ayine.
He refuted Dr. Ayine’s claim that Justice Clemence Honyenuga failed to hear a perjury application filed by Dr. Opuni, clarifying that the trial court ruled on the matter and the applicant proceeded to the Court of Appeal.
Additionally, Mr. Dame dismissed allegations that the reassignment of Justice Anokye Gyimah, who had opted for a de novo (fresh) trial in the Opuni case, was politically motivated.
He explained that his office had filed an appeal against Justice Gyimah's decision to restart the case, which the Court of Appeal upheld, ordering that the proceedings be adopted rather than restarted.
The reassignment, he emphasized, occurred during the appeal process and was a routine decision by the Chief Justice under her constitutional powers.
Mr. Dame warned against the politicization of the justice system.
"The tendency of an Attorney-General to peddle untruthful allegations against the prosecuting team and judges is highly unprofessional and constitutes an attack on the very Office he now heads."
The statements from Godfred Dame have reignited debate over the conduct of high-profile financial crime prosecutions and the role of the Attorney-General in upholding justice.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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