Dame, Ayine clash over Internal Memo to discontinue Asiama’s trial

For the first time in Ghana’s legal history, a sitting Attorney-General and his predecessor are engaged in a heated dispute over the handling of high-profile cases, particularly the discontinuation of the trial of the current Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama.

Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has refuted claims made by his successor, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, regarding an internal memo that allegedly recommended dropping charges against Dr. Asiama.

Mr. Dame insists that no such memo was brought to his attention during his tenure and has challenged Dr. Ayine to produce evidence to substantiate his claim.

At a press briefing in Accra last Friday, Mr. Dame accused Dr. Ayine of using legal manoeuvres to shield political allies from prosecution.

He questioned the Attorney-General’s motivations for withdrawing charges in multiple high-profile cases, including those against Dr. Asiama and suggested that these actions were part of a broader strategy to protect members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“The Attorney-General should take full responsibility for his decisions rather than shifting blame to his predecessors,” Dame stated, emphasising that the judiciary should not be used as a tool for political whitewashing.

He also dismissed Dr. Ayine’s assertion that he might have disagreed with the alleged memo, but had yet to know his own comments on it, suggesting that the current Attorney-General was misleading the public.

Mr. Dame further questioned the legitimacy of the memo, arguing that even if it existed, its lack of clear authorship and date made it unreliable.

He emphasised that such a memo, if prepared, would not be binding on the Attorney-General.

Dr. Ayine, however, maintains that his actions were based on legal principles and sound prosecutorial discretion.

He has defended his decision to enter a nolle prosequi (formal withdrawal of charges) in cases involving former government officials, arguing that some of the charges were unsustainable and that financial losses cited in the cases had been recovered.

One of the central points of contention is the prosecution of Dr. Asiama in the Republic v. Kwabena Duffuor& Others case.

Mr. Dame contends that Dr. Asiama unlawfully approved a GH¢450 million facility, of which GH¢300 million was secured and directly benefited UniBank, violating financial regulations.

The remaining GH¢150 million, he argued, constituted an unpaid debt and grounds for financial misconduct charges.

Mr. Dame has also criticised Dr Ayine for allegedly consulting defense lawyers before withdrawing cases rather than engaging the Prosecution Department.

“The current Attorney-General relied solely on the views of defense counsel, instead of consulting the Director of Public Prosecutions or reviewing investigative findings,” he stated.

Dr. Ayine has yet to publicly respond to Mr. Dame’s latest challenge to produce the internal memo in question.

However, his previous statements indicate that he believes his predecessor ignored legal advice that would have prevented politically motivated prosecutions.

Godfred Dame described it as unprecedented for an Attorney-General to hold a press conference to attack and spread falsehoods about their predecessor, as he claimed Dr. Ayine had done.

Joining the debate, Godwin Kudzo Edudzi Tamaklo asserted that there was indeed an internal memo from which Dr. Ayine had read portions during his engagement with the media last week.

He claimed that an email trace exists, as the memo was sent by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to Mr. Dame.

Mr. Tamaklo accused the former Attorney-General of either taking the memo home or deliberately destroying it, calling such actions unethical.

According to Mr Tamaklo, Mr. Dame’s denial of the memo effectively threw the DPP “under the bus,” as she had provided a reasoned recommendation for discontinuing the case.

He further criticised Mr. Dame, alleging that he had allowed himself to be used to ruin the lives of innocent citizens and questioning his motives.

The post Dame, Ayine clash over Internal Memo to discontinue Asiama’s trial appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

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