Kwesi Botchwey Jnr, aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has criticised the Attorney General’s Office over what he described as an “unnecessary” pattern of filing nolle prosequi in high-profile cases.
His remarks come in response to the Attorney General’s decision to discontinue the case involving the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale, which led the Madina District Court on Tuesday, October 14, to discharge the accused, Daniel Owusu Koranteng.
Ahmed Suale, a key member of the Tiger Eye P.I. investigative team, was shot and killed by unknown assailants in January 2019. His murder drew widespread condemnation and international calls for justice, but the case has made little progress due to limited evidence.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, October 15, Mr. Botchwey Jnr cautioned that the repeated use of nolle prosequi could erode public trust in Ghana’s judicial system.
“I think that one thing we all have to do together is to safeguard and protect our judiciary. We have to maintain the confidence Ghanaians have in our judicial system and criminal jurisprudence,” he stated.
He expressed concern that the Attorney General’s recent decisions risked creating a worrying pattern where politically sensitive or high-profile cases are dropped without resolution.
“We should be careful not to create a situation where matters regarding high-profile go to court, the next thing is the Attorney General files a nolle prosequi. It’s becoming a trend now that any time there’s a change in government, the government of the day wants to file a nolle prosequi, especially in its first year in office. I think that we should be very careful not to continue this trend. We have to be very mindful of this trend,” he warned.
Mr. Botchwey Jnr described the discontinuation of the Ahmed Suale case as a blow to Ghana’s international reputation.
He called on government and judicial authorities to act with transparency and diligence in handling such sensitive cases to restore public confidence in the rule of law.
“Ahmed Suale was an internationally recognised journalist. The death of Ahmed Suale stained the reputation of the republic. If this news travels to the international media that the AG has filed a nolle prosequi. Because the AG feels investigations were incomplete, shoddily handled. It’s a big stain on our reputation as a country,” he said.
….
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spam, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital