The Legal Affairs Directorate of the National Democratic Congress has condemned “in no uncertain terms the unwarranted scathing attacks” by the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame, on former President Mahama.
The Attorney General who was addressing lawyers at the Ghana Bar Association Annual Conference in Ho yesterday raised concerns over what he describes as unjustified attacks on Ghana’s Judiciary by former President John Dramani Mahama.
Mr. Dame said the unwarranted utterances dent the image of the judiciary, a development that threatens the peace and well-being of the country.
Reacting to his comments, the NDC’s Director of Legal Affairs, Abraham Amaliba said Mr. Dame’s “unjustified outburst is characteristic of the arrogant posturing of his boss, Nana Akufo-Addo, and his failing government that is allergic to divergent views and opinions on national issues.”
“We are not surprised because many citizens who have been critical of Akufo-Addo’s government have suffered one form of attack or another from this intolerant government,” he added.
He said the Attorney General’s partisanship and bias as an NPP member are not in doubt.
“However, one would have thought that he would be mindful of his position as the Minister for Justice and leader of the Bar, which requires that he demonstrates a certain degree of maturity required of him by virtue of his position.”
“Unfortunately, that is not the case. Sometimes, Mr. Dame speaks like a typical NPP foot soldier other than a lawyer and for that matter the Attorney-General.”
The party finds the Attorney General’s choice of the Bar Conference to make the pronouncements disrespectful to lawyers and the legal profession.
Mr. Amaliba cited the Supreme Court’s failure to allow the EC Chairperson to enter the witness box during the 2020 election petition case and said it is not surprising that the recent Afrobarometer report published by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD) revealed a decline in citizens’ trust in the Judiciary by 21 percentage points between 2012 and 2022.
He could not fathom how former President Mahama’s observations about the judiciary and calls for reforms in the face of the declining trust in same could be seen as an attack on the judiciary.
“Ghana’s National Security Strategy in its risk analysis has identified mistrust in the Judiciary as a major threat to Ghana’s democratic stability. This, therefore, requires reforms that would restore citizens’ trust in such an important institution. Every well-meaning Ghanaian must be concerned about this”
He doesn’t see why former President John Mahama should be attacked for expressing his opinion on the state of the judiciary.
“Why should that warrant an attack from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, who should rather be concerned about the issues raised and take steps to address them? Just a couple of days ago, H.E. Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States of America had cause to excoriate the US Supreme Court over Roe V Wade decision. Should that be considered as an attack on the Supreme Court, or for that matter the Judiciary?”
He reminded the Attorney General that Ghana is a democratic country.
“Citizens, including former President Mahama have the right to freely express themselves. There is no institution that is precluded from scrutiny,” he added.
John Dramani Mahama called for a change in the leadership of the country’s judiciary to repair what he describes as its broken image.
Mr. Mahama stated that, the current state of the judiciary has sunk so low that it has lost the trust and faith of the ordinary person.
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