Avoid prejudicial comments in media briefings – Justice Ackaah-Boafo advises AG, Prosecutors

Supreme Court Judge nominee, Justice Kweku T. Ackaah-Boafo, has advised the Attorney General and other state prosecutors to be measured in their public commentary on cases under investigation, warning that any prejudicial remarks could compromise fair trial standards.

Justice Ackaah-Boafo made the remarks on Friday, June 20, 2025, during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, where he responded to growing concerns about how Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine has been handling public communications on high-profile investigations.

The Attorney General has come under scrutiny, particularly from the Minority in Parliament, for announcing criminal charges in the media before such cases are brought before the courts.

Notable among these are the $49 million fraud case involving Kwabena Adu-Boahene, a former Director General of the National Signals Bureau, and the payroll scandal at the National Service Authority implicating Gifty Oware-Mensah and others.

While acknowledging the public’s right to information, Justice Ackaah-Boafo emphasised that such disclosures must not undermine the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence or compromise the judicial process.

“If the Attorney General or the prosecutor has a role to play and he or she says ‘I have investigated a matter and I am providing information to the public’, it may be within his mandate. But anything else that may go on to prejudice the trial, certainly if the occasion arises, it can be dealt with,” he stated.