Attorney General shouldn’t be defending Ofori Atta in $2.25bn saga – Amaliba

A member of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) legal team, Abraham Amaliba, has described as an irregularity, the Attorney General’s office’s decision to respond to the petition brought before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), against Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

“The AG and Ken Ofori Atta simply do not understand the case before CHRAJ or they are simply being mischievous,” he stated in a Citi News interview.

The Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, in a 16-page response to CHRAJ’s enquiry in a petition brought by the Ashanti Regional NDC organizer, Yaw Brogya Gyamfi, defended the Finance Minister over allegations that he may have been involved in a conflict of interest situation in the $2.25 billion domestic bond issued by government.

Mr. Genfi petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the bond on grounds that the Mr. Ofori Atta attempted to “promote a personal interest for himself, as well as family and friends, which interfered with the objective exercise of his duties.”

But Mr. Amaliba explained that, the defence from the AG’s office was wrong, because “the case before CHRAJ is a case personal to Ken Ofori Atta. It is a matter which in effect says that a public officer has used his private interests to allow that to override the public interest.”




Thus he argued that “when the Attorney General acted as the lawyer to Ken Ofori-Atta in a matter which is personal to him, in my view, it was an irregularity. And I think that CHRAJ should be aware of the kind of situation we are being led into.”

“Can you imagine if at the end of the day, CHRAJ makes a recommendation that Ken profited from this deal and that he is to refund some monies to the state, who will enforce this recommendation – the Attorney General?” he asked.

“When this order is made, it will be difficult for the Attorney General to now begin to act against Ken because it will amount to professional misconduct,” Mr. Amaliba concluded.

Source: citifmonline.com