Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has fired shots at the Attorney-General over his decision to accept a sixty per cent recovery of funds in the Kwabena Duffuor and seven others UniBank collapse case.
According to Sulemana Braimah, this was not ORAL promised.
He asserted that Ghanaians were told of Operation Recover All Loots and not Operation Recover Partial Loots.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Sulemana Braimah stated, “I am happy that someone like Martin was part of the ORAL committee, and ORAL, we were told, was Operation Recover all Loots. I don’t think it was Operation Recover Partial Loots.
“I think if we are going this way, if I misappropriate GHS100 million or something to that effect, and then in the end, I know that the system is such that if I put forward even not 60% but 70% of whatever has been taken, I am going to do away with 30%,” he stated.
He added, “If it involves GHS100 million and I manage to give out GHS70 million, I can keep the GHS30 million for free — then that is an incentive to engage in all sorts of things”.
“Is that the kind of country we want to build, where it is okay to steal, loot, or misappropriate? If you are not caught, you get away with it, and if you are caught, you refund 60% or 70% and keep the rest? Is that why we are involved in this fight against corruption?” he bemoaned.
Sulemana Braimah noted, “If this is how we’re going to go about it, then there is actually an incentive to steal from the State, because there is no sanction, there is no deterrent, there is no accountability, just refund what you have looted, not even all of it, just part… then, really, I think there is an incentive for many people to do a lot of things against this country.”
His comment comes following the Attorney-General’s Office formally dropping prosecution of Dr Kwabena Duffour and seven others.
Dr Kwabena Duffour and seven others were standing trial in connection with alleged financial improprieties during Ghana’s financial sector clean-up.
On Tuesday, July 22, Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, revealed that a nolle prosequi had been entered in the case titled The Republic v. Kwabena Duffour & 7 Others.
The statement explained that the AG’s move was made in the interest of openness and public accountability.
Part of the AG statement read, “In pursuit of this objective, the Office of the Attorney-General, in collaboration with other relevant State agencies, established a threshold of 60% recovery of the alleged losses to the State as a condition for reconsidering prosecution in specific cases”.
Following prolonged negotiations and engagements, the accused persons in The Republic v. Kwabena Duffour & 7 Others case have met this recovery threshold. Accordingly, in furtherance of public interest, and considering the significant recoveries made for the State, the Honourable Attorney-General has satisfied himself that continuing with the prosecution will not serve any additional public purpose.
This decision, however, does not imply an absence of wrongdoing nor a vindication of any conduct. It is a pragmatic step in line with the overarching national interest of recovering State resources”.
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