Kwaku Ansah-Asare, a former Director-General of the Ghana School of Law, has said he foresaw President Akufo-Addo’s government being characterised by nepotism and scandals.
He says he is not surprised with Akufo-Addo’s governance style since he predicted it seven years ago.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Mr. Ansah-Asare noted that “when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took over some seven years ago, I was interviewed and I said that I can predict that the administration will be suffocated by scandals and I have been proven right.
“My apprehension is that the man in charge of the government had too many friends and I saw that it was going to be a government of family and friends, and it turned out to be a government of friends,” he remarked.
According to Mr. Ansah-Asare, the multitude of scandals plaguing the administration stems from the dubious backgrounds of most of the appointees holding office.
He said it appears one needed to have a cobweb in his drawer before being appointed in the Akufo-Addo administration. Despite his caution to the President through persons closer to him, the former GSL D-G said his prediction has come to pass.
“In this country, our culture is that when you are in business with your family and friends, nothing gets done. I remember whispering into the ears of someone who easily has access to the President to advise him on some of these things because if you look at the people who have been appointed as ministers, quite a number of them have cobwebs in their drawers. It is like one of the conditions for appointment is that you must have soiled your hands,” he stated.
His comments was in relation to the matter involving the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame and Richard Jakpa, an accused person in the ongoing ambulance trial who accused the A-G of meeting him at odd hours to falsify a testimony against the former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Dr. Ato Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister and current Minority Leader, is facing charges with two others, including Richard Jakpa, for their alleged involvement in the procurement of faulty ambulances for Ghana.
During cross examination by counsel for the Minority Leader in court Thursday, May 23, 2024, Jakpa was cautioned by the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe to be direct in his responses and avoid wasting the time of the court.
In response to the judge’s caution, Attorney-General Yeboah Dame accused Jakpa of defending the Minority Leader.
The accusation prompted Mr Jakpa to retort that the Attorney-General seemed aggrieved because he had previously failed to get him (Jakpa) to help the state build a case against Dr. Ato Forson.
“The A-G has on several occasions engaged me at odd hours to help him make a case against A1 and I have evidence for that.. If he pushes me, I will open the Pandora’s box. I don’t understand why the A-G will accuse me of defending A1 when I’m here to defend myself,” Mr Jakpa said in court.
“If he pushes me, I’ll open the Pandora’s box. I have evidence to all this,” he added.
Contradicting Jakpa’s allegations, Attorney General Godfred Dame asserted that it was Jakpa who had repeatedly reached out, sending several letters to request a plea bargain in hopes of having the charges against all accused persons dropped.
However, the A-G clarified that no agreement had been reached regarding these proposals.
Reacting to the matter, Mr. Ansah-Asare noted that the A-G must resign.
“My candid opinion is that the learned Attorney General knows or is deemed to know the law. Apart from the judges, I think the other person we can say the law rest in his bosom is the Attorney-General.
“The Attorney-General ought to know where, how and when he has to meet accused persons and in the residence of a sitting justice of the Supreme Court, this is scandalous and the Attorney General must resign or the president must fire him,” he said on JoyFM Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
