Minister for Justice and Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine Akuritinga has firmly dismissed suggestions that his office should seize control of the ongoing investigation and prosecution of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Speaking on Government Accountability series today December 18, Dr. Ayine responded to a direct question from EIB’s journalist Abdul Hannan about whether the Attorney General’s office would intervene in the high-profile case.
In response, Dr. Ayine noted, “Now Hannan wants to walk me into a controversy and trouble. I will avoid that controversy whether I should takeover the Ken Ofori Atta trial.”
Dr. Ayine emphasized the OSP’s status as an independent statutory body stating, “The OSP prosecute on the Authority of the Attorney General and its law unless there’s any legally sound basis for the Attorney General to say he’s interfering in the work of the OSP , there cannot be any interference.
“I can’t takeover an investigation I can’t take over a prosecution,” Dr. Ayine stated unequivocally.
He recounted his limited involvement in the matter, which stemmed from his office’s role as Ghana’s central authority for extradition requests.
“By law, I am the central authority or the office of the Attorney General is the central authority for extraditions so it was unavoidable. The OSP cannot request from the Americans to bring Ken Ofori Atta home. If he does that will be legally fraud and it will just be a non-starter as far as the Americans are concerned they will just throw it away,” Dr. Ayine said.
“So the OSP has to work cooperatively with me in other for us to send this extradition package to the United States of America, that’s all that’s the limit of my authority. Beyond that I cannot take over the prosecution just because I am the one applying for the extradition from the Americans.”
The Attorney General acknowledged public debates surrounding the case but refrained from endorsing or critiquing them.
“I’ve heard the arguments people are making. Are they sound? I don’t know, and I won’t judge,” he noted. “The OSP has its work, I’ve done mine, and we’re all watching to see if the OSP’s efforts in court succeed.”
The OSP has been pursuing allegations against Ofori-Atta, including financial misconduct during his tenure, with extradition efforts underway to bring him back from the US for questioning.
Source: www.Kumasi.com
