Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has called on the Ghana Legal Council (GLC) to thoroughly investigate allegations of professional misconduct against former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame.
The call comes in response to a petition filed by a private citizen, Daniel Kwame Ofosu-Appiah, which raises serious concerns about Dame’s conduct during the criminal trial of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Richard Jakpa, and another individual.
Cudjoe, speaking on TV3’s Keypoints programme monitored by Kumasimail.com, stressed that Dame must be given a fair opportunity to defend himself, but insisted that justice must prevail.
Cudjoe questioned Dame’s approach to high-profile cases, suggesting his actions were politically motivated rather than rooted in justice.
“I asked myself, is this guy a minister of justice or just a minister of persecution? Because the guy was just like a headhunter, just going for people’s soft touch, going for them to please the president,” Cudjoe remarked.
He urged Godfred Yeboah Dame to address the allegations directly and not conflate them with previous government controversies.
Cudjoe said “He should not add that to the sins of the many economic acts and probably targish acts of the previous governments.
“I don’t think he should be seen that way. Nobody is persecuting him. In this instance, he’s alone. And he has to answer for the acts that he’s done,” Cudjoe added.
Cudjoe expressed shock at reports that Dame allegedly attempted to coach a witness to lie in court, describing the act as “treasonable.”
“I can’t believe that a minister of justice would be coaching somebody to lie in court. That’s treasonable in some way. I mean, if it were a military government, he would have been dead gone,” he said.
Again, the IMANI Africa President reiterated the need for due process.
“I hope that he’s served properly at the legal council. The rules of justice must apply. He should not be treated like the way they’ve treated others in the past. But they should accord him the respect as a former attorney general, however, much like this like the system, and then giving that due respect and due regard to defend himself.”
Source: www.kumasimai.com / Kwadwo Owusu
