Two sets of laws for two sets of people in Ghana – Godfred Dame

Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has criticised what he describes as the growing perception that Ghana’s justice system operates “two sets of laws for two sets of people” following the acquittal and discharge of former MASLOC Chief Executive, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu. In a press release issued on Friday July 31, 2026, the former Attorney-General argued that the Court of Appeal’s decision has deepened public concerns over whether political affiliation now influences accountability within Ghana’s criminal justice system. Beyond the acquittal itself, Dame contended that the development fits what he described as a broader pattern in the conduct of criminal prosecutions.

He alleged that the current Attorney-General has shown a tendency to discontinue cases involving leading members and affiliates of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), while opposition figures continue to face prosecution in corruption-related cases. Referring to the public reaction to the Court of Appeal’s decision, Godfred Dame maintained that the criticism surrounding Sedina Attionu’s acquittal was understandable. He argued that the prosecution had led cogent evidence during the trial, evidence which, according to him, had been widely reported by the media and was therefore well known to the public.

The former Attorney-General further asserted that the Sedina case has reinforced the perception that equality before the law is no longer applied evenly. In his view, the principle now exists “only in theory”, warning that confidence in the justice system suffers when citizens believe justice is administered differently depending on political affiliation. Dame also took aim at what he described as the government’s prosecutorial priorities.

He argued that Ghanaians should expect higher standards from an administration which, according to him, discontinued criminal cases involving some of its leading members upon assuming office, while subsequently embarking on prosecutions of leading opposition figures under what he characterised as difficult trial conditions. While expressing those concerns, Dame rejected attempts by NDC communicators to attribute Sedina Attionu’s acquittal to the previous Akufo-Addo administration. He maintained that neither he nor the Office of the Attorney-General was served with any notice of appeal during his tenure and insist…