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Commentary on high profile criminal cases exceeding limits of free speech – AG warns
Godfred Yeboah Dame, has cautioned individuals who make commentary on high-profile criminal cases in the country to refrain from such acts.
According to the Attorney-General, such commentary exceeds the permissible limits of free speech, unduly interferes with the work of State Prosecutors, and adds unnecessary pressure on the courts.
In an official statement, the Attorney-General emphasized that all individuals in Ghana are equal before the law, regardless of their citizenship or social status. He firmly stated that no one is above the laws of Ghana and that everyone is subject to their application.
The Attorney-General’s response was prompted by an appeal by the Dormaahene, Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, who serves as both a traditional leader and a high court judge, urging charges against Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson to be dropped.
Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II made the appeal during the John Evans Atta Mills 10th Anniversary Commemorative lecture held in Sunyani on July 1.
Dismissing the appeal, the Attorney-General, in a two-page response, described such calls as unfortunate and unwarranted.
He emphasized that the decision to press charges against an individual is not influenced by their political, social, or economic standing, but rather based on the strength of the evidence, subject to the scrutiny of the courts.
The Attorney-General also emphasized that an acquittal does not imply malice on the part of the prosecution and that the perception that crimes committed by individuals of high political standing should go unpunished is detrimental to society and should not be tolerated.
Read the full statement below
RE: UNJUSTIFIED COMMENTARY ABOUT PENDING CRIMINAL AND OTHER CASES AND ATTACKS ON STATE ATTORNEYS
The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice has observed with serious concern the increased tendency for various persons,
including members of the legal profession of considerable standing, to run extremely prejudicial commentary on cases pending before the
courts.
The cases which have been the subject of unwarranted public commentary include but are not limited to, Republic vrs. James Gyakye-
Credit: Citinewsroom.com
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
