Story By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
Lawyer Atta Akyea, has expressed dismay at the current Attorney-General’s practice of pronouncing accused persons guilty before trial. With 32 years of experience as a lawyer, Atta Akyea says he has never seen an AG engage in such conduct.
Atta Akyea criticized the AG’s actions, stating that they compromise the integrity of the judicial process.
“An accused person, after trial, if found not guilty of a crime, would be disgraced even before trial, looking at the tactics of the current Attorney-General,” he noted.
Atta Akyea accused the AG of acting as both prosecutor and judge, declaring accused persons guilty before trial. He described this behavior as “sinful” and an affront to the principles of justice.
“I see the act of the Attorney-General as sinful for taking the stand as a prosecutor and a judge to ridicule someone publicly even before trial at a court,” he stated.
The veteran lawyer warned that such actions could lead to defamation suits against the AG. He emphasized that government officials, despite their power, have previously accused individuals in court only to lose their cases.
“If the new court is the press, then there’s a breach of the law,” Atta Akyea cautioned.
Atta Akyea urged the AG to refrain from declaring people guilty before trial, as this undermines the justice system and can have serious consequences for accused individuals. The AG’s actions, he stressed, should be guided by the principles of justice and fairness.
The conversation was on the back of the Human Rights Court throwing out an application filed by former Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori-Atta, which sought to bar the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) from issuing a “wanted” noticed.
Ofori-Atta, currently under multiple investigations by the OSP and other state agencies for alleged misconduct during his tenure, had asked the court to restrain the OSP from publicly declaring him wanted.
His legal team argued that such an action would infringe on his rights and prejudice ongoing proceedings.
The court dismissed the application, paving the way for the OSP to continue its public notice and search measures if necessary.
