Minority Threatens Court Action Over AG’s Decision To Drop Duffuor's Charges
The Minority has announced its intention to take legal action against the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, over his decision to discontinue the criminal prosecution of defunct uniBank founder, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor. The Attorney General last week revealed that the State had successfully recovered 60% of the funds involved in the criminal case, and therefore found no additional public interest in pursuing the prosecution further. The case, which formed part of the government's broader financial sector clean-up exercise, had charged Dr. Duffuor with offenses including theft and money laundering in relation to over GHs 663 million in liquidity support disbursed to uniBank prior to its collapse.
However, addressing journalists in Parliament, Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Kwame Anyimadu, expressed strong opposition to the move, describing it as a threat to justice and accountability. He called on key institutions and stakeholders to act urgently. “We are calling on the Parliament of Ghana, particularly the Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, to summon the Attorney General to publicly answer for this decision,” Mr. Anyimadu said. He also demanded that the General Legal Council and the Ghana Bar Association investigate the Attorney General for what he described as “potential breaches of legal ethics and professional conduct.”“All patriotic Ghanaians must stand up against what appears to be the erosion of justice and the dangerous politicization of the prosecutorial process,” he added.
Mr. Anyimadu further indicated that if the Attorney General does not reverse the decision “within a reasonable time, the Minority will proceed to court to challenge it. Let this press conference also serve as formal notice to the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, that if his decision is not reversed, the Minority will consider its options, including legal action to challenge the decision in its entirety, he warned. He concluded by invoking the principle of judicial fairness, stating: Justice must not only be done, but it must be manifestly seen to be done. The announcement adds to growing public scrutiny of the Attorney General’s handling of high-profile financial crimes, particularly in the wake of similar decisions, such as the recent nolle prosequi entered in the case against Dr. Duffuor.
