Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has taken a swipe at Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine over his public disclosure of alleged payroll fraud at the National Service Authority (NSA), warning that the approach risks turning public discourse into a substitute for the courtroom.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, June 14, Mr. Ahiagbah criticised the Attorney General’s press briefing held the previous day, where 12 former NSA officials were named in connection with a GH¢548 million payroll fraud case. He described the move as premature and dangerous, citing concerns about trial by media.
“The question is if we go to court now, where the rubber hits the road, and those so-called allegations that the Attorney General has put out do not carry in court, what would the Attorney General have done?” he asked.
He argued that the Attorney General’s public naming of individuals such as Mustapha Ussif, Osei Assibey Antwi, and Gifty Oware-Mensah — all prominent public figures — amounted to a conviction in the court of public opinion even before any charges had been tested in a legal setting.
“The average Ghanaian has now come to the conclusion, just by mere issuance of this notice or the press conference, that ooh, those people — Gifty Oware, Osei-Assibey, or Mustapha Ussif — they are corrupt,” he said. “That’s what he has done.”
Mr. Ahiagbah further noted that while the fight against corruption must be rooted in transparency, the Attorney General, being the country’s chief legal officer, must be held to higher standards of legal propriety and constitutional respect.
“Why is he doing that to people when he is a lawyer, he is the Attorney General, and the theatre for his job is the courtroom — not the media pulpit?” he asserted.
He accused the Attorney General of undermining Article 19 of the Constitution, which enshrines the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.
“The danger here is that people are being labelled corrupt before they get the chance to defend themselves,” he added.
Mr. Ahiagbah’s remarks signal a growing unease within the opposition party regarding the government’s anti-corruption messaging, especially when it involves high-profile individuals who previously served under the NPP administration.
While Dr. Ayine has defended his decision to make the information public, stating that investigations have concluded and charges are forthcoming, Mr. Ahiagbah insists that such disclosures should be made in court filings — not press conferences.
“Justice is not a PR campaign. If the evidence is solid, it will stand up in court without the need for prejudging suspects in the media,” Mr. Ahiagbah said.
He called for caution in how the state communicates its prosecutorial agenda, warning that public confidence in justice systems can be eroded when high-stakes accusations are aired without due legal process.
