Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli, has raised serious concerns over the Duffuor trial termination, calling the Attorney-General’s decision to halt the high-profile prosecution “deeply troubling.”
His criticism came after the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, announced a nolle prosequi, a legal move by the state to discontinue the criminal trial of former Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor and seven others. The case revolved around alleged financial misconduct linked to the collapse of uniBank during Ghana’s 2018 banking sector clean-up.
According to the Attorney-General’s Department, the decision to end the trial was justified by the recovery of 60% of the funds and assets involved. Officials claimed further prosecution no longer served the public interest.
But Tampuli, who also represents Gushegu in Parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), strongly disagreed. “We find this very worrying indeed, especially coming from the background where we had Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL). What we are seeing today appears to be something akin to ‘Operation Clear All Loot,’” he told Citi FM on Tuesday, July 22.
He argued that such decisions set a damaging precedent, potentially turning legal processes into political tools. “It is very worrying that a government comes into power, and one of the major things the AG does is to clear every former appointee who has committed one wrong or the other and has been undergoing prosecution,” he added.
Tampuli went further, accusing the Attorney-General of compromising the integrity of the justice system. “The AG is not just the AG; he is the Minister of Justice. On this occasion, we are seeing something close to a minister of injustice in the work that the AG is doing,” he stated.
His remarks echo growing discontent from civil society groups and legal experts who fear that political interference is weakening Ghana’s commitment to justice, particularly in high-profile corruption cases.
