The decision by the Principal State Attorney to drop charges against 8 members of pro-NPP vigilante group, Delta Force who were standing trial for storming a court and freeing some of their members is insulting, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah has suggested.
He said the decision showed that government was taking Ghanaians for fools by trying to tell “kwaku ananse stories” about why the court raiders were freed.
The Principal State Attorney in the case, Marie Louise-Simmons, who is the representation of the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, in her reply to a letter from the prosecutor for her legal opinion on the case said the charges against the suspects must be dropped because there was insufficient evidence against them.
The court, presided over by Her Honour, Patricia Amponsah, therefore discharged the accused and dismissed the case.
But according to Mr. Braimah, the development smacks of blatant disregard for the Rule of Law.
In a Facebook post, he said, the development had the semblance of an instance during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government where 3 persons who openly campaigned for the government, were granted presidential pardon after they were duly convicted of offenses including threatening the life of a Supreme Court judges.
“Oh, so afterall, there is no difference between NPP and NDC. I am exceedingly disappointed. How can people storm a court to free suspects on trial and a government frees them just because they are members of the ruling party.”
“What is even more shameful is the efforts by the government to take Ghanaians for fools by giving us kwaku ananse stories on why the party thugs have been freed. Let someone tell them we are not fools. This is not only disgusting but embarrassing. I have been hoping the president is truly committed to rule of law,” he said in a Facebook post.
The Minority in Parliament called for the re-arrest of the eight members of vigilante group,
Haruna Iddrissu, who addressed the press on the matter called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to show leadership in the face of what they [the minority] term as an utter disrespect to the institution of the Judiciary.
A Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Legal Team, Abraham Amaliba also described the basis for the release of the suspects as unreasonable.
Meanwhile, the government through the Ministry of Information denied that it sanctioned the drop of charges against the suspects.
It said the Principal State Attorney in the case, Marie Louise-Simmons acted on her own accord and did not consult the Attorney General on the matter.
It also added that it was taking the necessary steps to remedy the situation.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
