Dr. Dominic Ayine
The Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, is a clever politician whose mastery of dealing with persons he thinks have shortchanged the state is unique.
There is something common between him and the Special Prosecutor; both love the media limelight and have not avoided using same to attract public ire against their targets.
It is ironic that the two are on a collision course over the extradition request for former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is currently undergoing treatment in an American health facility. The procedural disagreement made interesting reading for both members of the learned fraternity and the public.
There was rumble in the jungle last Wednesday when the AG hosted one of his usual media shows to showcase the iniquities of a new prey. This time his catch is Abdul-Wahab Hanan, former CEO of the Buffer Stock Company, who from all indications he intends to make mincemeat of.
Even before the charges levelled against the former National Buffer Stock Company boss hit the desk of a judge in the judicial system, the AG has already nailed his prey as a villain and only waiting for the guillotine.
His posturing as he hosted the conference presented him as the head of a military junta, far away from a democratic setting.
We should be the last entity to want the former CEO shielded from the claws of the law if indeed he squandered so much public funds.
The impunity with which some holders of public office dip their hands into the state kitty is alarming and should be discouraged through existing law and procedure.
When this is being done, it is should however be devoid of a propaganda posturing. Such public shows as we are observing about the two, the Justice Minister and the Special Prosecutor, do not help the cause of justice.
For those who are easily swayed by such public shows by the Attorney General, they have been manipulated to conclude that the man who is yet to appear before a judge is a villain who should be sent to the gallows.
Dr. Ayine as a consummate lawyer knows better than most of us the negative impact of displaying suspects at the marketplace before the cases reach the courts. Besides, are all such persons not innocent until they are proven otherwise by courts of competent jurisdiction?
Unless he wants to tell us that politically-inclined cases are treated differently as the case of the former CEO is.
During the delivery of the AG, it was noticed also that rather than restrict the subject to issues related to Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), he appears to deliberately veer to the Akonto Mining issue which falls under a different bracket.
Mixing flavours as he did compels observers to identify political vindictiveness as the objective of the whole exercise.
Let the state recover all loots, but this should be done using acceptable legal process, which the Attorney General, as we pointed out, appreciates better than us.