The accused
The Attorney General’s Department is investigating circumstances under which a Principal State Attorney in Kumasi dropped charges against persons arrested in connection with disturbances in a Kumasi Magistrate’s Court in April this year.
According to the AG, the investigation has become necessary due to the state attorney’s decision to drop the charges without seeking advice from higher authority.
Members of Delta Force – a vigilante group affiliated to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – in April, 2017 stormed the Kumasi Circuit Court and freed the members of the group who were facing charges for causing disturbances at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council.
Reports indicated that the group vandalized some court properties, and almost assaulted the judge, Mary Senkyire.
A statement released yesterday by the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, said preliminary investigations suggested that the decision was taken without recourse even to the Director of Public Prosecution.
The statement said the action “may amount to a breach of internal procedures on matters of this nature.”
He said, “While the department awaits the full results of this investigation, we will like to reiterate our commitment to ensuring that the rule of law is applied at all times and persons found culpable of any breaches that bring the work and commitment of the department into disrepute will be sanctioned and the appropriate remedies adopted in the interest of the Republic.”
BY Cephas Larbi