The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboa Dame, says the petition by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the Commonwealth Secretariat against the Nana Addo administration constitutes an attempt to undermine Ghana’s sovereignty.
The NDC in its petition, signed by General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, accused the Nana Addo Administration of human rights abuses and harassment and intimidation of opposition elements.
“Since assuming the reins of power in 2016, the message of physical violence against political opponents that Nana Addo preached and championed before the 2016 general elections has turned into structural, institutional and systematic forms of violence in the form of human rights violations, harassment, and political persecutions against members and supporters of the NDC,” Mr. Asiedu Nketiah said.
But speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Mr. Dame said the allegations are unfounded.
He said the government is unfazed by the action taken by the NDC and will continue to prosecute persons found to have flouted the law in any way.
“I find it to be very hypocritical and misleading. All the government has sought to do is that the NDC and its officers are brought to book. I will not be deterred at all in my quest to ensure that there is accountability for the people of Ghana. The cases that we have investigated and the actions we have filed in court are on account of solid evidence that we have unearthed through painstaking investigation,” he said.
He further said the petition will in no way affect the government’s actions against suspects, noting that seeking refuge with international bodies will not affect Ghana’s judiciary or its prosecutions.
He also said the NDC is only taking such actions to avoid prosecution.
“I can cite the incident of Alfred Woyome… All this recourse to the tribunal is an attempt to get the NDC to run away from justice [because] their claims are unjustified. I do not think we must pay too much attention to it,” Godfred Dame said.
“It is a clear attempt to undermine the administration of justice in the court and an attempt to interfere with the sound administration of justice. As far as I know, no foreign entity can influence or interfere with the courts of justice in the country. As far as I am concerned, all this attempt by the NDC is an attempt to infringe on the sovereignty of Ghana.”