The High Court in Kumasi has acquitted and discharged President Nana Akufo-Addo’s nominee for Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alexander Kwabena Sarfo-Kantanka, who had been standing trial on 26 counts of corruption related to a public election.
Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka was charged in May 2022 after a viral video surfaced online allegedly showing him demanding refunds from some assembly members. The video drew national attention, as he was purportedly asking for money he claimed to have paid in an attempt to secure confirmation as MCE for the Juaben Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) initiated the charges, accusing him of attempting to influence the outcome of a public election—specifically, the votes of assembly members involved in the confirmation process.
But on Friday, the court, presided over by Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori, ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a direct link between the alleged payments and any intention to induce or corrupt the voting process. She held that the video evidence presented in court did not conclusively demonstrate that Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka offered money to assembly members in exchange for their votes.
Justice Ofori’s ruling effectively brings an end to nearly two years of legal proceedings surrounding the case.
The acquittal marks a significant moment in the fight against corruption in local governance. While the Office of the Special Prosecutor had been lauded for taking up the high-profile case, the court’s decision underscores the evidentiary burden required to secure convictions in corruption-related prosecutions.
The case was widely watched as a test of Ghana’s resolve to root out corruption in political appointments at the local level, especially following the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor as a key anti-graft institution.
It remains to be seen whether the ruling will influence future investigations or prosecutions related to electoral corruption, particularly in district-level confirmations where transparency has often come under scrutiny.
