Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has defended the government’s decision to challenge the acquittal of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, insisting the move is driven by principle, professional judgment and the pursuit of accountability, not personal considerations.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Thursday July 30, Dr. Ayine declined to comment on the substance of the Court of Appeal’s ruling, explaining that although the judgment had been sent to him, he had not yet had the opportunity to study it.
“As a lawyer of many years’ standing, I will not comment on a matter until I have read the judgment, and I have not read the judgment of the Court of Appeal,” he said.
The Attorney General, however, maintained that he stood by his decision to oppose the appeal and take the matter to the Supreme Court.
According to him, although he inherited the case and the accompanying extradition request from the previous administration, government is a continuum and it was his responsibility to review the case and act in the national interest.
“I inherited the docket. I inherited the extradition request. But government is a continuum. I reviewed the documents, and I worked on them. This is a principle stance, and it is a stance about accountability for this country,” he stated.
Dr. Ayine stressed that the decision had nothing to do with personal feelings towards the former MASLOC CEO, revealing that Tamakloe-Attionu is a personal friend.
“If it were about individuals, let me tell you, Sedina is my friend. She’s my personal friend. It’s not about personalities. It’s about this country,” he said.
He also rejected claims that the state’s decision to pursue a further appeal was intended to save face after the Court of Appeal overturned Tamakloe-Attionu’s conviction.
“I am not doing this because I want to save face for either myself or the President of the Republic. I’m doing it based upon professional considerations and also on the advice of the excellent men and women who work with me at the Attorney General’s Department,” he said.
Dr. Ayine said his office would carefully review the Court of Appeal’s judgment before filing the appeal, adding that the legal grounds for the challenge would be made public.
“We’ll review the judgment. You will see the grounds of appeal, and I’m sure at that point in time, we can all have a discussion as to whether or not the appeal has any merit,” he added.
The Court of Appeal on Thursday acquitted and discharged Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, overturning her conviction and 10-year prison sentence after ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The Attorney General has since confirmed that the state will challenge the decision before the Supreme Court.
CREDIT: MAVIS FANTEVI