Two wrongs do not make a right – Martin Amidu slams NDC for attacks on Godfred Dame

Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has taken a swipe at his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), over its ‘attack’ on the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame.

The Legal Directorate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) quizzed Godfred Dame about his reasons for not trying the cases of NAM 1, Ahmed Suale, Major Mahama and others daily.

The NDC's inquiry comes on the back of the belief that the government and Attorney General are persecuting its members instead of prosecuting them.

In a press statement released on Friday, July 7, 2023, and available to GhanaWeb, the NDC wondered why the AG is not rather focusing on clearly criminal cases like the one involving Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM1) of Menzgold when the Bank of Ghana termed their activities as fraudulent and for which the company was shut down.

Reacting to this in a statement issued on July 8, 2023, Martin Amidu said that the content of the statement issued by the NDC legal secretariat is an affront to the 1992 Constitution.

He added that even if the attorney general is wrong in his decision to prosecute members of the NDC, the statement issued by his party is not justified.

“The weaponization of the criminal defence process in the administration of criminal justice for political electioneering purposes under the 1992 Constitution by the NDC Legal Affairs Directorate’s broad press statement dated 6 July 2023 undermines the letter and spirit of the Constitution and the fair and impartial administration of justice.

“By conflating the case of James Gyakye Quayson with the Dr. Stephen Opuni and others case, the Cassiel Ato Forson case, “the Ahmed Suale case, Major Mahama case, J. B. Danquah case, Menzgold case, etc?” the NDC, as a public institution, is also clearly attacking the exercise of the prosecutorial authority of the Attorney-General under the Constitution in pending criminal cases in court without just cause. Two wrongs do not make a right!

"It is one thing to urge or appeal to the executive branch and the Attorney-General to exercise a prosecutorial discretion to enter a nolle prosequi in a pending criminal matter and it is quite another thing to attack the conduct of criminal cases already pending in the courts.” Amidu wrote.

He added that the position taken by the NDC regarding ongoing prosecution also affects its chances of fighting crime in the event that it comes to power again.

“Will the NDC expect the NPP in opposition not to emulate the current actions of weaponizing politics in defence of party members suspected of crime which the Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC is espousing?” he asked.

BAI/OGB

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