Legal expert Kwaku Ansa-Asare has joined the calls for the resignation of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, following an accusation of the Attorney General coercing a witness in the ongoing trial of the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

Businessman Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the trial of the minority leader, accused the Attorney General of attempting to collude with him to make a case against the minority leader.

Jakpa claimed that the Attorney General met and called him at odd hours to get his cooperation during court proceedings on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

The Office of the Attorney General has stated that Dame did nothing wrong and was ambushed by Jakpa in the house of a Supreme Court judge to discuss a plea bargain for himself without a lawyer.

However, Ansa-Asare, a former Director General of the Ghana School of Law, has dismissed the explanation by the office, saying that the Attorney General should have known better and described his supposed action as unforgivable.

He went on to explain why the AG must step down.

Save his integrity:

The former Director General of the Ghana School of Law, who said Dame was his student, stated that the Attorney General must step down to save his integrity.

He mentioned that Dame cannot morally continue in the position due to the allegations against him.

"My stake in the matter is that given the (sic) circumstances of this matter, there is every moral justification for the Attorney General to quit his job to save his hard-earned reputation. I respect him, he was one of our brightest students and from day one, I have followed with a keen interest in his performance as an attorney general.

"When he was appointed, I recall inviting him and counselling him to make sure that he did not soil his hands. If you ask him, he will bear witness," he said in an interview on Citi TV's 'Eyewitness News' on May 27, 2024.

Dame was engaging in a commercial deal, not plea bargaining:

Ansa-Asare said that the Attorney General was engaging in a transaction with the third accused in the Ato Forson case and not plea bargaining as stipulated in the laws of the country.

"It was not plea bargaining that they were involved in; it was a complete commercial deal. 'If you give me this, I'll do that for you.' That is the history of such plea bargaining in this country."

He said that the Attorney General should have known better than going to the house of someone to discuss plea bargaining with an accused person in a case.

"As an attorney general who is in charge of the processes and the criminal justice system, he ought to know that plea bargaining can only take place under his auspices in his chambers, not at the ministry but the chambers of the Attorney General or the chambers of the trial judge."

The legal expert also said that state prosecutors have lost their jobs engaging in similar acts and Godfred Dame should also be held accountable.

"Mind you, in the Woyome case, the same thing happened. What did we see in the Woyome case? The chief state attorney lost his job. Why do we want to shield the Attorney General who ought to know better? The Attorney General should have known that walking into the judge's residence to meet Ato Forson or Richard Jakpa unaccompanied by other persons was as dangerous as what it has turned out to be. He should have known better," he said.

Nothing better would come out of a public inquiry:

The legal luminary also brushed aside calls for a public inquiry into the allegation against Godfred Dame.

According to him, history has shown that such inquiries are politically motivated and persons who go before them, especially those who belong to the ruling party, are usually exonerated.

"I'm a firm believer in the rule of law and I know that an accused person might be given the opportunity. That is why all or every accused person is usually given a hearing. But in this country, the culture is that the executive will always find a way of exonerating persons suspected of having misconducted themselves.

"Nothing good can come out of any inquiry whether we label it parliamentary, judicial, or executive enquiry; let him face the law in the law court. That is why he, as the attorney general with statutory responsibility and constitutional responsibility to superintend the rule of law, must be the first to go and face it. Let him tell his story in an ordinary court before an impartial justice and exonerate himself," he said.

Akufo-Addo is not brave enough to sack Godfred Dame:

Ansa-Asare also said that Dame must resign because President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who must fire him for his unforgivable act, lacks the courage to do so.

He indicated that Akufo-Addo has always found a way to exonerate his appointees who are caught doing the wrong things.

"He must resign. The president cannot sack him. The president doesn't have the courage to do that. So, he himself should advise himself and leave honourably, do the honourable thing," he said.

Ghana would lose respect if Dame remains in his position:

The former Ghana Law School boss, a founding member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, also cautioned that Ghana would lose a lot of respect as a beacon of democracy in Africa and the world if Godfred Dame continues to stay in his position.

He said that Dame himself would be looked down upon if he attends international events due to the allegations against him.

"And I can assure Ghanaians that this matter if it is not handled very well, is going to be a rule-of-law thing for the entire nation. We will lose our image as a rule of law country. The attorney general would lose his respect. If he attends conferences and workshops and seminars, he will not be himself," he said.

Handling of Cecilia Dapaah's Case:

Kwaku Ansa-Asare also stated that the Attorney General should resign due to his handling of the case involving former Minister of Sanitation, Cecilia Dapaah, who has been accused of corruption and money laundering.

He expressed confusion over the Attorney General's statement that the former minister did not commit any crime and that all the seized money from her properties by the Office of the Special Prosecutor would be returned to her.

He emphasized that in a serious democracy like Ghana, the Attorney General would have resigned over this case a long time ago.

BAI/OGB

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