Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine has defended his decision to drop certain court cases involving government officials, rejecting accusations of political bias and stressing that each action was grounded in sound legal reasoning.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, July 28, Dr. Ayine addressed growing criticism that he has been shielding appointees of the current administration from prosecution while terminating high-profile cases involving former officials of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“When I announced the discontinuation of cases involving former NDC officials and appointees, I gave concrete reasons that legal professionals agreed with,” Dr. Ayine stated. “I also said the cases were not being terminated because of the political colouration of the persons before the courts. I assess them on their merits and decide whether to proceed.”
The Attorney General emphasized that political loyalty does not equate to legal immunity, assuring that current government officials found culpable of wrongdoing will face prosecution.
“I have always said that when we get to a point where current NDC appointees are being investigated and prosecuted, that is when Ghanaians will know I’m a man of my word,” he said.
Dr. Ayine also took aim at what he described as politically motivated prosecutions, citing a case involving the finance minister. “If you bring baseless charges against people, like they did to the finance minister and then later went back looking for evidence, you don’t expect me to continue it,” he said.
His remarks come amid criticisms from some civil society and opposition groups, particularly the NPP, over the handling of corruption and accountability cases, with critics warning that the government risks undermining public confidence in the justice system.
