ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
Obedience and respect; Caring for the welfare of one another everyday, Selflessness in the traditional way; Ensures each person’s welfare, That is what will bring peace and prosperity to our nation.
; Clearly depends on the character of the citizens of the nation. ‘
This anthem, a clarion call to patriotism, stewardship, and unity, serves not only as a reminder of the ideals we ought to embody but as a beacon guiding us back to the path of integrity and collective action.
I urge you to lead the fight against all sorts of injustice.
"Yen Ara Asase Ni" is not merely a song, it is a testament to the enduring spirit of our people, a spirit that journalists are uniquely positioned to amplify.
As guardians of the public conscience, you are called to rise above the fray, to champion the cause of truth, justice, and national unity.
In this era, where the essence of our democracy and the fabric of our society are tested, let us recommit ourselves to the principles that Ephraim Amu so eloquently espoused.
I implore you to be the standard-bearers of objectivity, the architects of informed discourse, and the unyielding defenders of freedom and truth.
In this regard, all of us have to be concerned about some disturbing developments in our national discourse.
The perceived weaponisation of state agencies against opponents, the creeping assault on freedom of the press, the perceived lack of trust in the dispensation of justice, and the pathetic lack of accountability in the protection of the public purse, this is the time for patriots to find their voices.
This is the time to be fearless and courageous.
We cannot and must not compromise on our defence of the national interest.
In the words of Walter Cronkite, a widely respected American journalist, ‘freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy!’
As we approach the forthcoming elections, let your pens and your voices forge a narrative of peace, fairness, and democracy.
The sad saga of SALL, the killing of innocent voters at Techiman and the unprecedented electoral violence at Ayawaso remain a scar on our collective conscience.
We must all resolve that these unfortunate chapters in our more recent history will never be repeated.
You should endeavour to be the bridge over troubled waters, ensuring that every Ghanaian, irrespective of political allegiance, finds solace and strength in the truth.
In closing, I call upon you to remember that the Ghana Journalists Association is more than a collective of individuals, it is a symbol of our nation’s resilience, its aspirations, and its unwavering pursuit of progress.
Inspired by the legacy of our forebears and the timeless call of "Yen Ara Asase Ni," let us forge ahead, united in purpose and resolute in our commitment to the ideals of your noble profession.
It is my hope and prayer that you will become a beacon of truth, integrity, and national pride, today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
As trained journalists, you have been taught to be wary of being overly optimistic or drearily pessimistic but to look carefully at the facts, the source, the context and any motive.
And when you have your who, what, where, why and how, do not be afraid to publish the truth.
It is better to tell the truth that offends than look on timidly, sheepishly and cowardly as the country’s interest is captured for the benefit of a few.
Your acronym, GJA stands not only for your association but should also stand for Governance, Justice and Accountability - principles I encourage you to uphold.
Ladies and gentlemen, my attention has been drawn to the press conference of the new Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr.
Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, held on Wednesday, 12 February 2025.
At the press conference, Dr.
Ayine sought to provide reasons for his discontinuation of certain criminal cases filed against certain persons, most of whom were leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and persons who served in the NDC Government that exited office in January 2017.
As the public would observe, throughout my tenure as Attorney-General, I never made any comment or passed judgment on the work of any of my predecessors in office even though I was often at the receiving end of many unsavoury remarks from sections of the populace, particularly, personalities in the NDC.
Since leaving office, I have also stayed clear of subjecting the work of my successor to any form of assessment, leaving that to discerning Ghanaians to do.
Before this morning, I had made absolutely no statement or comment whatsoever about the conduct or performance of the new Attorney-General, Dr.
Dominic Ayine.
However, at the press conference of the Honourable Attorney-General, in a rather unconventional manner, he proceeded to malign my good self, immediate past Attorney-General, and peddled a host of untruths, half-truths and misinformation, a trajectory which is not only unfortunate but begs the question as to the actual motive and justification for his decisions.
The Judiciary was not spared the brush of the Attorney-General’s unwarranted scathing attacks, as some members were subjected to similar disparaging attacks under the guise of Dr.
Ayine’s strained exercise of “assigning reasons” for decisions he has taken as Attorney-General.
I consider the attack on the Judiciary as part of the stratagem of the NDC to blame others for their resolve, long before they assumed power, to clear all of John Mahama’s appointees of any criminal liability for past acts by withdrawing criminal cases pending against them.
Indeed, Dr.
Ayine’s decisions are in furtherance of the RESETTING AGENDA of the NDC.
The material facts will bear this out.
Dr Ayine was sworn in as Attorney-General on Wednesday, 22 nd January, 2025.
On Friday, 24 th January, 2025, he caused to be filed a notice of abandonment of the appeal by the State in Republic vrs.
Ato Forson and 2 Others.
On Tuesday, 28 th January, 2025, he withdrew the case against Dr.
Stephen Opuni and 2 Others, resulting in the complete white wash of their crimes by an acquittal and discharge through the backdoor.
On 29 th January, 2025, he entered another withdrawal in Republic Vrs.
Ofosu-Ampofo & Another, again resulting in an acquittal and discharge of the accused.
On 30 th January, 2025, Dr.
Ayine withdrew two different cases against Dr.
Johnson Pandit Asiama, resulting in his acquittal and discharge in one and a discharge in the other.
There were more withdrawals and nolle prosequi to be entered by the NDC Government through the Attorney-General in the subsequent days.
Indeed, what broke the trend of “one day, one withdrawal”, was the occurrence of weekends.
Fellow Ghanaians, these developments irresistibly point to only one conclusion - a calculated, preconceived ploy on the part of the NDC to wipe out all criminal cases pending against its leading members and officials of the John Mahama Government and clear them of wrongdoing, not by the courts, but through their Attorney-General.
Remarkably, there is no precedent for this kind of conduct in the Fourth Republic.
Throughout the two 8-year terms of the NPP in Government, no Attorney-General appointed by either President J. A. Kufuor or President Akufo-Addo withdrew criminal charges or filed nolle prosequi in cases involving leading members of the NPP or senior members of the government.
By the time the NPP assumed power in 2017, all the cases filed by the erstwhile NDC Government against some Ministers and appointees of the Kufuor Government had been contested fully in the courts and won.
We secured acquittals through the courts, and not by resorting to delay tactics in the hope that an Akufo-Addo appointed Attorney-General would come and withdraw the cases and procure an acquittal.
I speak from experience as I personally conducted some of the cases.
Other lawyers within our ranks including my Deputies also handled some.
I must state that it is clearly unprecedented for an Attorney-General to hold a press conference and subject his predecessor-in-office to abuses and peddle falsehood in the manner displayed by Dr.
I am constrained, to set the records straight, to unveil the half-truths and manipulation of facts for well-meaning Ghanaians to decipher the true intentions of the NDC Government acting through the current Attorney-General in withdrawing charges against leading members of the NDC.
It is necessary to indicate at the outset that, the decision to charge a person with a criminal offence, especially in the high-profile cases in issue which held serious implications for the public purse, involved a prosecutorial discretion exercised pursuant to painstaking investigations conducted by duly authorised investigative authorities of State, inquiries and extensive deliberations by career prosecutors in the Office of the Attorney-General, who indeed proceeded to conduct the cases.
I continue to be grateful for the advice I received from the hardworking Attorneys at the A-G’s Office, investigators and my able Deputies, Mr.
Alfred Tuah Yeboah and Ms.
Diana Asonaba Dapaah, on the cases we personally initiated in office and the many others that had been commenced by my distinguished predecessor, Madam Gloria Afua Akuffo, which we continued.
I cherish the robust discussions and debates we had while professionally moving forward with each of those cases.
The nation would note that Dr.
Ayine and other leading figures in the NDC and the Government of the day were counsel in many of the cases he has discontinued.
I say that, indeed, it is not uncommon for defence counsel, as Dr.
Ayine and other NDC personalities were, looking at the same set of facts to come to different conclusions informed by their varying understandings of the law and the undeniable political considerations they hold.
However, I daresay that in taking decisions as monumental as withdrawing those cases, the only consideration had to be the national interest and not that of defence counsel.
The analysis I make of the reasons advanced by Dr.
Ayine will expose the questionable intent behind the withdrawal of the criminal cases.
Ayine’s unfounded allegation insinuating unethical conduct on my part in the conduct of the Ambulance Trial – Republic vrs.
Cassiel Ato Forson is highly disingenuous and rather unfortunately, recaps the series of falsehoods persistently published by foot soldiers of the NDC and other uninformed members of society.
I must say that I find it quite ironical for Dr.
Ayine, who is the subject of disciplinary proceedings for professional misconduct still pending at the General Legal Council, filed by the Hon.
former Chief Justice himself, to accuse me of unethical conduct.
In the interest of the nation, the case of professional misconduct pending against Dr.
Ayine at the General Legal Council, should have been determined before the parliamentary assessment of his suitability or otherwise for the high office of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice of our dear Republic.
The facts relating to the allegation by Dr.
Ayine that I interfered with an accused person in the Ambulance case are well within the public domain and have been adumbrated in court proceedings.
The record shows that there has been a judicial determination of that unfounded allegation frequently made by foot soldiers of the NDC and other uninformed people.
Shockingly, Dr.
Ayine, the current Attorney-General, ignored this fundamental fact in his 10-page Press Statement and over an hour conference with the media, for the simple reason that he knew that his allegation had been flatly debunked by the court when same was put to strict scrutiny.
If you would recall, the accused persons in the Ambulance Trial, filed an application for mistrial, hinging same on the alleged interference with one of the accused persons.
On 6th June, 2024, the High Court coram Her Ladyship Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe dismissed the application.
You would all remember the learned Justice of the Court of Appeal, who sat as an additional High Court Judge, say that she had listened to the tape in question about ten (10) times and found nothing to warrant a mistrial.
Specifically, she stated at page 24 of her ruling: “ After listening to the conversation between A3 and A1, the issue of whether the Attorney-General actually told A3 to implicate A1 is not borne out by the evidence on Exhibit CAF2.
These words were uttered by A3 at about minute 09:00 to 10:00.
In the same vein, the declaration that A3 was innocent and “going through ordeal” but was being asked to help make the case of the AG better was not made by the Attorney-General, but was made by A3, to which the Attorney-General responded at minute 10:20, “I am not asking you to help me ...” at minute 10:30.
The statement made that “You and I, you’ve been meeting me at my cousin’s place ...” (at minute 10:45) etc.
when closely, together with A3’s alleged attack of conscience did not proceed from the mouth of the Attorney-General”.
The judge proceeded to state at page 32 of her ruling that “the 3rd Accused by any stretch of imagination be seen to be the one procuring new evidence or cowed by the conversation ”.
In the face of this clear judicial determination of no wrongdoing as to warrant a mistrial, it completely defies logic and good reason why the Hon.
Attorney-General of Ghana would say to the public that I was culpable of a “disgraceful and unethical conduct” in the Ambulance trial.
Ghanaians want to know rather, how the current Attorney-General, Dr.
Dominic Ayine, will deal with the complaint of professional misconduct pending at the General Legal Council against him made by no less a person than the Chief Justice of Ghana in 2021.
RELIANCE ON DEFENCE COUNSEL TO WITHDRAW CASES AND ENTER NOLLE PROSEQUI Ladies, and gentlemen, in a chilling twist, the nation heard Dr.
Ayine confessing to speaking with lawyers for the defence and engaging them on the cases that were pending against the leading members of the NDC before exercising his discretion to file nolle prosequi or withdraw the charges.
He indicated that in Republic vrs.
Gyakye Quayson , the lawyer for the accused person expressed an inclination to go on and prove the innocence of his client, and therefore, he decided not to enter nolle prosequi.
Respectfully, what this betrays clearly, is that, the exercise of Dr.
Ayine’s discretion to continue with the prosecution of cases or not is informed principally by the disposition of counsel for the accused in cases that the Republic is prosecuting against their clients.
Thus, if counsel for the accused is in the position to strongly defend the interests of his client in court, the Attorney-General of the Republic will not enter nolle prosequi.
Where the counsel for the accused are not convinced about the likelihood of success of their defence in court, Dr.
Ayine would immediately enter a withdrawal (if the prosecution has closed its case), or nolle prosequi (if the prosecution has not closed its case).
As I will show in an examination of each of the specific cases cited in Ayine’s press statement, the Hon.
Attorney-General quite reprehensibly, relied solely on the case for the defence before exercising his discretion to discontinue the actions.
He did not engage in any meaningful consultation with the Prosecutions Division of the Office of the Attorney-General before instructing the filing of the withdrawals and nolle prosequi in the cases against the senior members of the John Mahama Government and other leading members of the NDC.
The dates of the filing of the said processes buttress the assertion I make here.
I challenge Dr.
Ayine to show any memorandum presented to him by the Prosecutions Division of the Office of the Attorney-General advising or indeed, expressing a view on the continuation, discontinuation or “ termination ”, as he calls it of any of the criminal cases in question.
I can say without any fear of contradiction, that, there is none .
He should also show evidence of consultation on any of the charges he held with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) before discontinuing the cases.
You can be assured he cannot produce any.
Listening to Dr.
Ayine, one gets the distinct and chilling confirmation that he relied solely on the version of the facts of the case as presented by counsel for the accused as well as their erroneous views of the law on the subject matters in question.
It is for this reason that the claims of alleged defects with the various charges only re-echo positions articulated by the defence counsel throughout the proceedings.
In effect, Dr.
Ayine came to narrate to the Ghanaian public on Wednesday, the perspective of defence counsel on the charges their clients had been charged with.
The media would notice that, for each of the cases, the explanations of the Attorney-General for the withdrawal filed were only a rehash of argument already reported in the media as having been made in the court room by counsel for defence.
Is that a reasonable manner of the exercise of the Attorney-General’s discretion to enter nolle prosequi and withdrawal of criminal cases?
The people of Ghana should be very scared if we have an Attorney-General whose prime consideration for the discontinuation of criminal cases involving the loss of billions of Ghana Cedis is, the position of defence lawyers on charges preferred against their clients rather than the interests of the Republic in the prosecution of crime.
Even more scary and bizarre is the claim of Dr.
Ayine that he did not consult the former President , John Dramani Mahama before taking the monumental decision to discontinue the criminal cases.
The cases involved the loss of colossal sums of taxpayers’ money and some related to the banking sector crisis which affected the Ghanaian economy.
The people of Ghana should indeed be extremely concerned and afraid by the vesting of prosecutorial authority in a person who can discontinue the prosecution of such important and high-profile cases without discussing with the President of the Republic and members of the Cabinet.
Even defence counsel he consulted, how much more the President?
But Ladies and gentlemen, we ought to ask ourselves - is it true that Dr.
Ayine did not consult the President or his Cabinet about the decision to discontinue the various criminal proceedings?
A careful examination of the facts shows that this claim is palpably untrue.
The nation has not forgotten the loud claims made by President John Mahama and the NDC that the NPP rather, was responsible for a collapse of the banking sector and that on assuming power, the John Mahama government will restore all the banking licences which were revoked.
The withdrawal of the cases in question is only the first step of the clearing or whitewashing process of those whose acts led to the crisis that plagued the banking sector.
Ghanaians are certainly more discerning than the NDC and Dr.
Ayine think.
I proceed to examine Dr Ayine’s reasons for withdrawing some of the criminal cases Dr.
Ayine mentioned in his Press Statement.
I find, generally, that all his explanations are laden with contradictions and inconsistencies and betray the questionable motives for his actions.
REPUBLIC V. CASSIEL ATO FORSON & ANOTHER The firs reason assigned by the Attorney-General for the discontinuance of the appeal is “ ethical and professional ”, since he was deeply involved in the conduct of the defence of Dr.
According to him, he could not “ in good conscience ” continue the conduct of the appeal.
This explanation is a sham as the Attorney-General’s prosecutorial authority under article 88(4) of the Constitution is exercised by himself or “ any other person authorised by him in accordance with any law ”.
Pursuant to this, the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30) permits attorneys of the Office of the Attorney-General and other persons, including even private legal practitioners, to whom the Attorney-General may delegate his powers through an executive instrument enacted pursuant to Act 30 , to prosecute.
Thus, the fact that he, Dr.
Dominic Ayine, found himself in a conflict of interest situation did not imply that the entire appeal had to be abandoned.
Ayine characterises the prosecution of the Ambulance case as a political witch hunt.
I wholly disagree.
The facts show that vehicles purporting to be ambulances were imported into the country in December, 2014 in violation of the contract governing the transaction.
In the absence of any request by the Ministry of Health, and at a time that the period for supply of the ambulances under the contract had even lapsed, Dr.
Cassiel Ato Forson, by letters dated and 7 th and 14 th August, 2014, instructed the Bank of Ghana and the Controller and Accountant-General to issue letters of credit which was the agreed means of payment for the vehicles.
The letters of credit were consequently established on 18 th August, 2014.
Big Sea General Trading LLC, the suppliers of the vehicles based in Dubai, whose contract had no parliamentary approval, proceeded to ship the vehicles on receipt of the letters of credit.
When the vehicles arrived, they were not of the kind specified in the contract and had serious defects with every material part of the vehicles which rendered them unfit to be described as ambulances.
Indeed, a John Mahama appointed Minister for Health at the time, Dr Alex Segbefia described the vehicles as “ ordinary vans ” not fit for purpose.
The defects were so irremediable that from the time the vehicles started arriving in December, 2014 up to January, 2017 when the erstwhile John Mahama administration left office, they could not be converted into ambulances.
To date, they cannot be converted into ambulances and the John Mahama Government is back in pwoer.
I am of the honest view that the split 2 – 1 decision of the Court of Appeal, far from confirming Dr.
Ayine’s opinion that the case was flawed, was erroneous and the Republic’s chances of having same set aside by the Supreme Court was very high.
If Dr.
Ayine was convinced that his position would prevail on appeal, why did he not allow the appeal to run its course for a vindication of his views?
What did he or his former client, Dr.
Ato Forson stand to lose by a determination of the appeal by the Supreme Court?
Ladies and gentlemen, I observe that the real reason for a discontinuance of the appeal by Dr.
Ayine was that he did not wish to deepen the woes of Dr.
Ato Forson any further.
REPUBLIC V. OFOSU AMPOFO & ANOTHER Dr.
Ayine did not advance any reason whatsoever for the withdrawal of this matter save that he was on record as counsel for the defence.
I have already pointed out above the absurdity of such a position.
I would not recount same.
The self-serving nature of Dr.
Ayine’s decision is too apparent for the people of Ghana to see.
REPUBLIC V. COLLINS DAUDA & OTHERS The reason advanced by the Attorney-General for the entry of nolle prosequi in the case filed against Mr.
Collins Dauda and 4 Others for their roles in the Saglemi Housing Scheme, is that in his view, the charges were defective.
He claimed that the prosecution wrongly charged the former Minister, Collins Dauda with the offence of misapplying public property (funds) in the sum of Two Hundred Million United States Dollars (USD200million).
In Dr.
Ayine’s view, the prosecution should taken account of the fact that part of the US$200m was used to construct the houses at Saglemi.
With the greatest respect, this analysis by Dr.
Ayine portrays a complete misapprehension of the ingredients of the offence of misapplying public funds.
The offence of intentionally misapplying public property consists in wrongly applying public property, which is defined under the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140) for a purpose other than as lawfully approved.
It is different from the offence of wilfully causing financial loss to the State whose defining ingredient is the actual loss occasioned the State through one’s wilful acts.
In this case, Mr.
Collins Dauda was charged with the offence because he intentionally misapplied the sum of US$200 Million for the construction of 1,412 housing units instead of the 5,000 housing units lawfully approved by Cabinet, the Parliament of Ghana and the Public Procurement Authority to be constructed.