Minority accuses A-G of overstepping legal mandate

 The Minority in Parliament has accused the Attor­ney- General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, of overstepping his legal mandate, by directing investigations, ordering arrests, and prejudicing cases before they reach the court.

According to the group, the A-G’s role was to provide legal ad­vice, not to conduct investigations or publicly declare individuals guilty before due process.

“Since when did we have an Attorney-General who orders arrests, conducts investigations, and examines his own evidence to determine if a case should be prosecuted?”, Second Deputy Minority Whip, Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib, questioned when he addressed a press conference at Parliament, yesterday.

He condemned what he described as an increasing abuse of power by security operatives, particularly the National Intelli­gence Bureau (NIB) and National Security, in recent raids on former government officials.

Mr Shaib, who is also Mem­ber of Parliament (MP) for Weija-Gbawe, argued that such actions undermined democracy, eroded public confidence in law enforcement, and violated consti­tutional rights.

He cited the raid on the residence of former Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Ad­dison, as a clear case of political harassment.

“If the actions were truly lawful and above board, why did the Na­tional Security Coordinator find it necessary to call and apologise to Dr Addison? What exactly was that apology for?” Mr Shaib asked.

Mr Shaib also criticised the “excessive force” used during the operation, including the disman­tling of CCTV cameras, which he said raised doubts about the legality of the exercise.

He alleged that the government was using these tactics to divert public attention from its challeng­es, including the economy, illegal mining and power outages.

Mr Shaib further mentioned that security agencies have been weaponised to intimidate political opponents rather than to uphold justice.

According to the Minority, sev­eral former government officials have been targeted in similar oper­ations, including former Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, whose residence was raided on February 10, 2025, and former Minister of Energy, John Peter Amewu, whose home was report­edly invaded by armed security operatives in Hohoe, in the Volta Region, on March 5, 2025.

Others he said included former Jubilee House Director of Op­erations, Lord Commey, former Public Procurement Authority Chairman, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, and former Di­rector of National Signals Bureau, Kwabena Adu Boahene, who was arrested upon his arrival at Koto­ka International Airport.

Mr Shaib also condemned the arrest of Mr Boahene, his wife, and pastor, who were detained for over 48 hours without charge.

“These arrests, detentions, and midnight home raids are relics of the coup era and have no place in a functioning democracy,” he said.

Mr Shaib also rejected Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Justice Srem Sai’s argument that MPs were protect­ed from defamation suits only in “good faith” debates.

Second Deputy Minority Whip called on the media, civil society, and all well-meaning Ghanaians to resist what he described as an emerging pattern of intimidation through state institutions.

“The health of our democracy depends on our ability to call out abuse when we see it, and demand better. Ghana deserves better. The people of Ghana deserve better,” Mr Shaib noted.

 BY RAISSA SAMBOU

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