The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, has criticised Godfred Dame, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, accusing him of behaving more like a legal representative for the New Patriotic Party rather than fulfilling his duties impartially.
This is on the back of the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Tuesday, July 30, acquitting and discharging the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; the first accused in the ambulance case and businessman Richard Jakpa; the third accused.
In response to the ruling, John Mahama in an interview on Accra-based TV3, asserted that Attorney General Godfred Dame had compromised his credibility as the country’s chief legal representative.
He further criticised, what he describes as Dame’s selective vigour, pointing out that the Attorney General has shown little enthusiasm in addressing other high-profile cases, including a significant ambulance case involving the current administration.
“I think that this Attorney-General has been discredited enough, anywhere in the world, with the things we have seen, the coaching of witnesses, and discussions with witnesses, this prosecution would have been struck out as malicious prosecution.
“I believe this prosecution is malicious. He is not as robust and energetic in pursuing other cases. Even as we speak, there is an ambulance case involving this present administration which is hugely larger than what he is prosecuting, and yet he has no interest in that.
“He is like a legal representative of the NPP party, over-enthusiastic in pursuing political opponents. I have said that when we come it will be the reverse. We will pursue accountability for the regime that has gone out but at the same time if any of our people are involved in the same things that have happened, we are prosecuting the previous government, and we will prosecute them too.
“So I think that the A-G is also the Minister of Justice, he forgets that and thinks he is just the A-G. The Minister of Justice is supposed to ensure fairness. Anywhere else in this world, this case would have ended, he would never even have come to court,” he said.