Some dropped cases were defective and lacked common sense – Dr. Dominic Ayine
Dr. Dominic Ayine, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has defended his decision to drop several high-profile cases, citing legal and ethical concerns.
The Attorney General has faced criticism for discontinuing cases against officials and associates of the previous Mahama administration, including the Saglemi Housing Project, charges against Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Asiama, the Democracy Hub case, and the prosecution of Stephen Opuni in the COCOBOD case.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, February 12, Dr. Ayine explained that his decision was guided by professional integrity and legal principles.
“For ethical and professional reasons, I couldn’t in good conscience continue to prosecute some of the cases. The second was that some of the cases, in my own review and analysis of the charges, showed clearly that the charges were defective and some were far against the promptness of plain commonsense.,” he stated.
He further noted that some cases lacked sufficient evidence to warrant continued prosecution.
“The third was that in some of the cases, the evidence led so far showed that there was a reasonable doubt, as to the guilt of the accused persons and no prosecutor should continue to pursue a case in the face of overwhelming doubt regarding the guilt of accused persons.
“In most of the cases I had terminated proceedings, the conduct of some of the individual judges left so much to be desired.”
Dr. Ayine emphasized that all the accused persons in the discontinued cases had been acquitted and discharged, stressing that his decision was not influenced by political pressure but was in line with constitutional and legal requirements.
