A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team, Wonder Madilo, has suggested that the Attorney-General’s decision to discontinue the trial of former Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffour and seven others shows there was insufficient evidence to secure convictions.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, July 23, Madilo stated that the outcome of the case makes it evident that the prosecution lacked a strong legal foundation from the outset, emphasising that the government’s ability to recover a significant portion of the misappropriated funds should be viewed as a positive step in managing the country’s fiscal challenges.
“If they had enough evidence against them, they would be in jail. For me, this shows that the evidence wasn’t enough. So the Attorney-General’s decision to recover what can be recovered is the best outcome under the circumstances,” Madilo asserted.
The Attorney-General’s Office on Tuesday, July 22, entered a nolle prosequi in the case, The Republic v. Kwabena Duffour & 7 Others (CR/0248/2020), formally ending the prosecution of the former minister and his co-accused. They were being tried over alleged financial improprieties linked to the 2018 financial sector reforms.
In a press statement, Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai said the decision was taken in the interest of transparency and public accountability, even though the law does not require the Attorney-General to explain the reason for withdrawing a case.
According to the statement, the prosecution was halted after a benchmark was set requiring the recovery of at least 60% of the alleged losses, which had been achieved or was in progress.