A private legal practitioner has sharply criticized the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine for publicly commenting on allegations against the former government appointees, saying such statements risk prejudicing legal proceedings.
Adofo’s comments come after the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, made public remarks linking Abdul-Wahab Hanan Aludiba, former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), to alleged corruption issues during a government press engagement.
Kwame Adofo, speaking on The Forum on Asaase Radio on Saturday (25 October) said Attorney-Generals traditionally act on reasonable suspicion or belief of wrongdoing and leave determinations of guilt to the courts.
“It’s strange. If you file charges against individuals that you believe or suspect have committed an offense, you don’t hold a press conference and muddy the person up before going to court,” Adofo said. “Whether or not these people have committed an offense is the matter for the court. He can only act on reasonable belief or reasonable suspicion.”
Adofo described statements made by the Attorney-General during a recent press briefing on the alleged misappropriation by the former NAFCO CEO as “definitive and conclusive,” suggesting that the official had effectively judged and convicted the individual publicly.
The lawyer also dismissed speculation that the Attorney-General might be acting under political pressure
“That is something you don’t do as an Attorney-General. The matter of whether somebody is guilty or not guilty is for the courts. Until the person has been tried and convicted, you cannot conclusively state that they have looted.”
“An Attorney-General is supposed to be a professional and shouldn’t act based on pressure. You need time to reflect and make a judgment which is informed,” Adofo said.
Source: asaaseradio.com
