The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame, swiftly addressed accusations made about the handling of Galamsey report during a press conference by the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
The NDC had alleged that Dame was involved in covering up for government officials implicated in a galamsey report presented by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng.
In a statement released on October 18, 2023, Godfred Dame categorically dismissed the accusations, labeling them as baseless.
Dame clarified that the NDC’s portrayal of his involvement in advising the Central Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service regarding Prof Frimpong-Boateng’s galamsey report was misleading.
He emphasized that the advice provided by a state attorney to the CID is an integral part of due process in an ongoing investigation. The Attorney General stressed the importance of adhering to constitutional responsibilities, citing Article 88, which outlines his duty for the initiation and conduct of all prosecutions of criminal offences.
It is imperative to remind the public that the Attorney-General’s hallowed constitutional responsibility under article 88 of the Constitution for the “initiation and conduct of all prosecutions of criminal offences”, implies a duty to prosecute a crime only after proper investigations have been conducted, irrespective of the political, race, colour, ethnic, religion, economic or social status of the suspect, he said.
The lies and propaganda of the NDC are obvious to discerning Ghanaians… State Attorneys of all ranks, throughout the country on a daily basis, offer advice on hundreds of dockets presented by the CID. The advice on the docket prepared by the CID on the “Prof Frimpong-Boateng Report”, rendered by a Chief State Attorney, is no different from advice proffered by the Office on dockets with similar shortcomings. The political consequence of such advice is not a factor considered by State Attorneys,” he added.
In reaffirming his commitment to the rule of law, Dame underscored that the initiation of prosecutions is contingent upon thorough investigations, regardless of the suspect’s political affiliation, race, color, ethnicity, religion, economic standing, or social status.
This assertion aims to clarify that legal proceedings are conducted impartially and based on the merits of the case rather than extraneous factors. The Attorney General’s response seeks to assure the public of the integrity and fairness of the legal processes involved in handling the galamsey report.
