Former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North, Alhaji Fuseini Issah, has cautioned against the growing trend of public judgment and media prosecution of individuals accused of wrongdoing before due process is allowed to take its course.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, November 6, he argued that while accountability and transparency are essential in governance, it is equally important to respect legal procedures and give accused persons the opportunity to respond to allegations against them.
“With some of these things, I think we should allow the process to go on. We should allow people to have the opportunity to respond to some of these things. What I find very difficult is the public prosecution of some of these matters even before people get the opportunity to respond, and it is a growing phenomenon that is very worrying,” he said.
He described the situation as troubling, noting that once public discourse begins, opinions form quickly, and those accused are often presumed guilty before investigations are completed or cases are heard in court, which, according to him, could taint the accused’s reputation if found not guilty.
“Where there is a public discussion of an issue, already before you get to answer whatever allegation is against you, the public has formed an opinion you have been prosecuted even before the case actually starts in court, and that is worrying,” he added.
Fuseini Issah’s remarks follow the ruling by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) against former Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah.
CHRAJ has barred Dr Owusu-Amoah from holding any public office for five years and referred him to the Attorney-General for prosecution after investigations revealed corruption, fraud, and procurement breaches that led to a financial loss of GHS 8,971,933.43 to the state.
The ruling stems from a complaint filed in August 2022 by the Movement for Truth and Accountability (MFTA), a civil society group, which accused the former GRA boss of engaging in fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for the supply of vehicles and logistics to the Authority.
CHRAJ’s investigation found that the GRA, under Dr Owusu-Amoah’s leadership, awarded contracts worth millions of cedis to three companies: Ronor Motors Ltd, Sajel Motors & Trading Company Ltd, and Telinno Ghana Ltd through single-source procurement in October 2021.
The Commission determined that the GRA misled the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) into approving the use of the single-source method under questionable circumstances, in violation of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). Further findings revealed that Sajel Motors and Telinno Ghana had no verifiable business addresses and were not tax compliant at the time of the transactions.
While acknowledging the seriousness of the revelations, the Former MP stressed that fairness must not be sacrificed for public outrage.
“We should be able to give people the chance to respond to some of these allegations,” he said, urging the public and media to allow investigative and judicial processes to determine guilt or innocence rather than rushing to judgment.