The Attorney-General’s move to halt prosecution in the high-profile criminal case against former Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor has come under fresh scrutiny from the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
He is questioning whether the State truly secured the best deal with its reported 60% recovery of funds linked to the collapse of UniBank.
Although the Attorney-General’s Department defended its decision, arguing that further prosecution was unnecessary given the substantial asset recovery, Baffour Awuah is not convinced. “Is the 60% the best the State could have gotten? Then the question is, 60% of how much?” he asked during an appearance on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.
He further cited Dr Duffuor’s own acknowledgment of the GHS5.3 billion loan liability allegedly taken by bank directors, referencing a letter in which Duffuor indicated their willingness to liquidate assets to repay the debt. “So in this instance, how much is the 60%?” he added.
The Attorney-General’s decision to file a nolle prosequi was made public on July 22, with Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai citing cost-saving and efficiency concerns as key motivations. Officials emphasized that the case exemplified non-conviction-based asset recovery principles, increasingly common in global legal practice.
This legal action was part of broader accountability efforts stemming from Ghana’s 2018 financial sector clean-up. The collapse of multiple indigenous banks, including uniBank, triggered a massive recapitalization and restructuring campaign, costing taxpayers billions of cedis.
While several prosecutions were launched in the aftermath, the discontinuation of the Duffuor case marks one of the highest-profile decisions to step back from litigation in favor of asset recovery.
