Criminal lawyer Augustine Obour has weighed in on the ongoing legal proceedings involving Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, currently before a court in the United States.
According to Mr Obour, the trial could extend beyond a year due to the multiple layers of legal processes available to the accused. He argued that much of the commentary by politicians on various media platforms fails to reflect the legal reality of such cases, insisting that his position is based strictly on law, not politics.
Mr Obour explained that under established legal principles, an accused person is entitled to exhaust all available avenues of appeal. As a result, the case could move from lower courts through appellate courts and, ultimately, to the Supreme Court.
He emphasized that this process is not unique to the United States but applies to judicial systems across the world, noting that no court decision is truly final unless it is delivered by the Supreme Court of the jurisdiction.
For this reason, he stressed, Mr Ofori-Atta has the legal right to challenge any adverse ruling until the matter reaches the highest court, a process that could significantly prolong the trial.
Story: Nyamebeye Kofi Ansah Sasraku