Joe Ghartey is a former Minister of Railways Development
Ghana’s Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Justice Srem Sai, has stated that former Ghanaian Minister of Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, is not involved in the payment of the $2 million in the Accra Sky Train matter.
According Dr Srem Sai, Ghartey is not on the charge sheet of the Sky Train matter even though he was invited for questioning during the initial stages of the investigation.
Dr Srem Sai made the revelation while speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express about ongoing prosecutions some ex-officials of the erstwhile President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government.
He disclosed that the public spotlight on a few high-profile criminal investigations has created a misleading impression of selective justice, even as many former government officials quietly face legal scrutiny without fanfare.
He noted that the silence of many arrested or bailed individuals is contributing to the public’s skewed perception.
“I appreciate the demeanour of a lot of the government appointees,” he said.
“Once in a while, you hear that someone has been picked up, or someone has been invited in the media, and then there’s a whole lot of noise.
“But I can tell you, a large number of the persons who have been arrested, now on bail, who are under investigation, are quiet.
They will not make any noise about it.”
According to him, several former ministers and officeholders are cooperating with law enforcement discreetly and respectfully.
“Some of them believe that the process must be followed,” he said.
“It’s only a few who, once in a while, come in the media, and then people are massing up to go to EOCO. But there are a lot of them who go quietly, do what they are asked to do and leave without any noise at all.”
Dr Srem Sai’s comments came in response to concerns that prosecutions have been selective or politically motivated.
He stressed that not every investigation leads to prosecution, and not every minister presiding over a controversial ministry bears criminal responsibility.
“If you take the Sky Train, for instance,” he said, “former AG and later Railway Minister Joe Ghartey at a point was invited, but he explained his side of the story. When you look at the charge sheet for Sky Train, he’s not on it.”
It will be recalled that Joe Ghartey has always insisted that the Ministry of Railways Development did not pay any money for the Sky Train.
The Deputy Attorney General maintained that mere association with a project under investigation is not enough to make someone criminally liable.
“The fact that you’re a minister at the time doesn’t mean that you will be criminally liable for anything,” he said.