Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli, the Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, has fired shots at the Attorney-General following his decision to drop cases against Dr Kwabena Duffour and seven others.
According to Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli, the John Mahama government promised Operation Recover All Loot, but what we are seeing today is Operation Clear All Loot.
He described the Attorney General’s decision as selective justice.
Speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli stated, “We find this very worrying indeed, especially coming from the background where we have Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL). What we are seeing today appears to be something akin to Operation Clear All Loot”.
“It is very worrying that a government has come into power and one of the major things that the AG does is to clear every former appointee who has committed one wrong or the other and have been undergoing prosecution,” he added.
Tampuli noted, “The AG is not just the AG, he is the Minister of Justice. On this occasion, we are seeing something close to a minister of injustice in the work that the AG is doing.
His comments come on the heels of 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”.
