Kwesi Botchway Jnr., a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) communications team, has described the Attorney-General’s decision to appeal the acquittal of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu as a reaction to growing public dissatisfaction over the Court of Appeal’s ruling.
Speaking on TV3 New Day’s The Big Issue, Friday, July 31, Botchway Jnr argued that the Attorney-General’s decision was intended to calm public outrage rather than confidence in the legal merits of the appeal.
“The decision of the Attorney-General to appeal is just a smokescreen and panic response to the anger of Ghanaians because clearly even persons belonging to the divide of the ruling government are unhappy about the decision of the court to acquit and discharge Sedina Tamakloe,” he said.
According to him, while a retrial could have been justified if the appellate court found procedural flaws, the decision to acquit and discharge the former MASLOC boss raises broader questions.
“In fact, I was thinking that the worst thing that could have happened was to order a retrial, but an acquittal and discharge fits into the larger political narrative of this decision having some form of political undertones,” he stated.
Mr. Botchway Jnr also defended the work of the prosecution, insisting the case was not weak and that the conviction secured at the High Court demonstrated that substantial evidence had been presented.
“I think that the prosecution did a good job because I don’t think that any prosecutor would wake up and decide to take a very porous case to court to secure the conviction of any person, especially considering the fact that the matter went to trial,” he argued.
“I think that the decision clearly has political undertones. You don’t need a prophet to tell you that,” he added.
The Attorney-General has announced plans to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision at the Supreme Court after the appellate court quashed the conviction and 10-year prison sentence imposed on Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
The A-G believes that the High Court ruling which convicted Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu has merit and must stand.
In essence, he has filed for Stay of Execution against the Appeal Court’s judgement in favour of former CEO of MASLOC, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu.
The Appeal Court acquitted and discharged Madam Attionu of causing financial loss to the State and other charges against her on July 30.
According to the motion sighted by 3news, “…this Honourable Court will be moved by the Attorney-General (Applicant) herein, praying for an order to stay the execution of the judgement granted in favour of the respondent herein pending appeal upon the grounds stated in the accompanying affidavit and for any further order(s) as this Honourable court may deem fit.”
