The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that he rejected a plea bargain proposal from one of the accused persons in the National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandal, involving an alleged loss of about GH¢38 million.
According to Dr Ayine, the suspect offered to refund GH¢22 million out of the total amount but sought to avoid full criminal prosecution—a condition the Attorney-General said was unacceptable.
Dr Ayine stressed that repayment alone cannot substitute criminal prosecution in cases involving alleged financial loss to the state. He noted that such arrangements fall short of the legal standards required under Ghana’s justice system.
He made the remarks while responding to questions at a press briefing dubbed the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, 22 December 2025.
“Yes, offers keep being made, but sometimes the offers are made conditional on people bringing their money and walking away, and I say no,” Dr Ayine said.
He explained that although Ghana’s laws permit plea bargaining, his office would not endorse arrangements that undermine the criminal justice process, particularly in cases involving significant sums of public funds.
“I am the Attorney General. I am the prosecutor. I am not defence counsel,” he said. “What I want to do is make my case to the court and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the offences I am charging have been committed.”
Dr Ayine further explained that while the law allows accused persons to plead guilty, make restitution, or plead to lesser charges, such initiatives must originate from the accused persons and their legal representatives—not the prosecution.
“If they want to shorten the process through plea bargaining, it is left to them. I will not advise them, and I will not be the one to provide that advice,” he added.