….Calls him biased, dictator etc
The President of IMANI Africa, has reduced Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to grounded meat, expressing strong disapproval at his legal counsels to President Nana Akufo-Addo, labelling it as consistently problematic and leading to “sad spectacles.”
Franklin Cudjoe, expressed his disappointment with the Attorney-General, questioning his failure to delay the passage of anti-LBGTQ bill and his overall approach to high-profile cases.
Interestingly, the Office of the Attorney-General, later responded to remarks made by Franklin Cudjoe, calling for an apology and retraction for the comments they deemed derogatory, asserting that Mr Cudjoe’s statements were unwarranted, and demanding that he rectify them.
Mr Cudjoe, an active player in the Civil Society space obsessed with policy and good governance matters, highlighted instances of what he perceives as the Attorney-General’s politically charged and unscrupulous advice.
He suggested that, a more collaborative approach, similar to that of the finance minister, would have been more appropriate in handling the bill.
In an interview on The Big Issue on Citi TV, on Saturday, March 23, 2024, with Selorm Adonoo, Mr Cudjoe, voiced his disappointment with the Attorney-General, questioning his failure to delay the bill’s passage and his overall approach to high-profile cases.
On March 18, 2024, the Presidency sent a letter to Parliament, advising against sending the anti-gay bill for assent due to two pending Supreme Court applications for interlocutory injunctions.
The letter, signed by Nana Bediatuo Asante, Secretary to the President, followed the Attorney-General’s advice to await the Supreme Court’s resolution on the matter.
Consequently, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, openly criticized the President’s decision and announced a suspension of the approval of ministerial nominees.
Cudjoe’s critique extends to the Attorney-General’s handling of cases involving Ato Forson and others, accusing him of political bias and poor judgment in legal matters, asserting the need for less politicized and more prudent legal counsel from the Attorney-General.
“My problem with the Attorney-General is that he should have taken the position the finance minister took in advising legally that, Mr President the way things are going I think sitting together with the other party is very important to deal with this matter. But he took a Machiavellian position in trying to say his hands are stayed,” Cudjoe asserted.
He added that “in almost all the cases that are very high-powered, he’s been giving bad advice. I have never seen this dictatorship of Attorney-General in my life.”
“The Attorney-General is also a disappointment; very disappointing, this Attorney-General, has been legendary when it comes to giving very bad advice. When it comes to important issues that matter, especially when certain persons are involved. He’s been too political, and it’s not healthy for a state like Ghana. Look at SALL, Assin North MP, Gyakye Quayson, the way he’s treating Ato Forson [Minority Leader] in court.
“Since when was the president’s hands stayed when it comes to important bills? That is why I’m saying the Attorney-General has been a bad advisor when it comes to very important matters, and he has been too political. If he were smarter, he would have waited and probably delayed the passage of the bill.
“He should have found every rule in the books to delay the passage of the bill. In almost all the cases that are very high-powered, he’s been giving bad advice. I have never seen this dictatorship of Attorney-General in my life,” he asserted.
Later in a Facebook post after Citi TV’s The Big Issue, Mr Cudjoe wrote “On behalf of the disenfranchised people of SALL, I call on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to render an unqualified apology for his dereliction of duty in seeking justice for the 30,000 citizens of SALL that were callously prevented from the last Parliamentary elections. Indeed he should be sorry for defending the state against disenfranchised SALL citizens and offering no dignified advice to the presidency on resolving the debacle. Failing to render an apology and taking Honorable steps towards redeeming his government’s disturbing image as carefree and wicked hatred for SALL citizens would render his legacy as one that promoted the greatest illiberalism and disunity”.
The Office of the Attorney-General later responded to remarks made by Franklin Cudjoe, calling for an apology and retraction from Franklin Cudjoe for the comments they deemed derogatory. They assert that Mr Cudjoe’s statements were unwarranted and demand that he rectify them.
In a response to this, Wilberforce Mensah, the spokesperson of the Attorney-General, described Mr Cudjoe’s statement as “unfortunate”, challenging him to substantiate his allegations.
He further emphasized the importance of credibility for both Mr Cudjoe and the think tank he represents, urging a prompt retraction of the comment and an issuance of an apology.
“Let it be clear that the Honourable Attorney General, Godfred Dame, has not produced any such advice on ANY of the persons mentioned. I challenge the author to produce any such advice authored by Honourable Godfred Yeboah Dame.
“Some of the names mentioned are being prosecuted for some offences that the Office believes are fit on proper charges to be preferred based on the facts.”
“For his own credibility sake and the credibility of the think tank which he represents, he ought to unreservedly retract the comment and accordingly issue an apology.”
Following the A-G’s demand, Franklin Cudjoe, issued an apology for describing him as a politically biased advisor to President Akufo-Addo.
In another Facebook post and a subsequent interview on Citi TV’s The Big Issue, Mr Cudjoe in a post on X, on Saturday, Mr Cudjoe, apologised to Dame, but urged the Justice Minister to maintain fairness in his case management.
“Reference my last post. I hear AG isn’t happy. I hear. Tell him sorry. He should just be a fair Justice Minister. That is all,” he wrote.
Below is the reaction by the Attorney-General’s Spokesperson
“The Office of the Attorney General has come across a post attributed to the founder and CEO of Imani, Franklin Cudjoe, which is being circulated in the public domain. If indeed he truly authored that post then I say this with the greatest respect that simply because you are a think tank does not mean you should just say anything that you think is true.
A basic foundation of any serious think tank is research. To make the emphatic statement that the attorney general has been, according to him, “legendary in giving the most illiberal and politically divisive advice to a willing autocratic executive as far as the liberties of persons they disrespect and dislike is concerned-“ is most unfortunate.
In supporting his claim he makes reference to “SALL, Domelevo, Charlotte Osei, James Quayson, Martin Amidu, Ato Forson and others he’s yet to discover.”
Let it be clear that the Honourable Attorney General, Godfred Dame, has not produced any such advice on ANY of the persons mentioned. I challenge the author to produce any such advice authored by Honourable Godfred Yeboah Dame. Some of the names mentioned are being prosecuted for some offences that the Office believes are fit on proper charges to be preferred based on the facts.
On the Daniel Yao Domelovo for instance, Mr Dame was not even the A-G at the time. The bottom line is that no such advice on any of the persons named can be provided because nothing of the sort exists and Mr. Cudjoe evidently got it wrong. For his own credibility sake and the credibility of the think tank which he represents he ought to unreservedly retract the comment and accordingly issue an apology.
