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AG’s Department advised Godfred Dame to drop charges against Dr. Johnson Asiama – Dominic Ayine reveals
The Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine has revealed that an internal memo prepared by the Prosecutions Division of the Attorney General’s (AG) Department before he assumed office recommended that criminal charges against the current Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama be dropped.
Dr. Ayine disclosed that even though the advice was offered to his predecessor, he refused to heed to the counsel and rather pursued the case in court.
“This was the advice from the Prosecutions Division of the Attorney General’s Department to the former Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, which recommended that the charges should be dropped”, Dr. Ayine said.
“Based on these revelations it was difficult for me to press ahead with the prosecution of the current Governor of the Bank of Ghana and that is why I dropped all the charges against him,” he said explaining reasons behind the decision to discontinue the case.
Dr. Dominic Ayine disclosed this at a news conference in Accra to update the public on reasons for filing nolle prosequi for a number of court cases involving high profile members of the of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
“In coming to this decision, I am fortified by the Rule 40(2)(a) of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 2020 (L.I. 2423) which provides that, in a criminal case, a prosecutor shall refrain from prosecuting a charge that the prosecutor knows is not supported by the facts”
Background
Government in 2020, began the prosecution of Dr. Johnson Asiama, who was then the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, along other accused persons on fraudulent breach of trust, money laundering, conspiracy to commit crime, and violations of the Bank of Ghana Act.
For Dr. Asiama, he was charged with contravention of the Bank of Ghana Act for granting a facility of 300 million cedis to Universal Merchant Bank and for causing financial loss to the state in the sum of 150million cedis.
Charge of financial loss
In reaction to this, Dr. Ayine said the state was not pursuing a charge of financial loss again since 300 million cedis have been recovered, leaving the 150 million cedis outstanding.
I did not see the need to pursue the case. Evidence adduced so far fell significantly short of what was required to convict the accused. I therefore find it interesting that the state pressed ahead with prosecution, which I consider as a total waste of time”, he said.
Dr. Ayine pointed out that charges against some other people have not been dropped.
“I have not yet dropped the charges against the remaining accused persons because I am currently in discussions with the receivers in order to understand the financial implications of any decision I may take in these cases,” he concluded.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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