The Minority in Parliament has accused the Attorney General of undermining the constitutional rights of accused persons by publicly labelling them as criminals before due process is completed in court.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, the Minority’s Legal Counsel and MP for Suame, John Darko, said the Attorney General’s public remarks about ongoing prosecutions amount to “pronouncing suspects guilty before a fair trial.”
His comments follow the Attorney General’s recent characterisation of the former CEO of the National Food Buffer Stock Company and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP as “lawless looters” involved in criminal acts.
The Minority argues that such statements compromise the integrity of the justice system and violate the presumption of innocence.
“Competent Attorneys General don’t prosecute their cases in the court of public opinion,” Mr Darko said. “Put the evidence before the court… If you stand the test of time and the court pronounces them guilty, so be it. Why do you bring the evidence to the media for just this media circus to destroy the image of people even before they get a chance to open their defences?”
He urged journalists to avoid amplifying what he described as a “grand populist agenda” by the Attorney General, warning that such commentary could weaken the country’s constitutional protections.
“You publish and amplify these presses thinking you are doing your job, but what you are doing is amplifying the violation of the Constitution,” he cautioned.
“These constitutional violations… should not be tolerated. It is gradually tearing down our constitutional guardrails.”
The Minority insists the Attorney General must be called to order to ensure that prosecutorial actions remain within the confines of the law and the courtroom.