Mahama cannot be labelled clearing agent; he is not involved in my decisions – Attorney General

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine has rejected the description of President John Dramani Mahama as a clearing agent.

The President in the past week has been tagged as a clearing agent following decisions by the Attorney General to discontinue several cases pursued by former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame against appointees of Mahama's previous government.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, February 12, Dr. Dominic Ayine took full responsibility for the discontinuation of the cases, stressing that President John Dramani Mahama has no hand in his decisions.

He stressed that persons labelling President Mahama as a clearing agent should have a rethink.

“I wish to make it clear that I did not take these decisions lightly. As I indicated above, I consulted widely and reviewed the files diligently before coming to a decision on each of the cases. You would note that in some cases, such as the SSNIT case and the banking cases, I withdrew charges against some of the accused persons while others are under consideration. I am keenly aware of the need to balance the public interest against the interests and rights of the accused persons.

“Also, as Attorney General, I take absolute responsibility for all the decisions taken so far. I am not under any instructions or pressure to discontinue any case or to bring charges against one. Those who are in a haste to tag the President as a clearing agent should hasten slowly because he is not responsible for prosecutions and has not directed me to drop any case,” Attorney-General Dominic Ayine told journalists at the press conference.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General has disclosed that his office is currently looking into the report of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) committee.

At the press conference, Dr. Ayine noted that his office will build strong cases on all issues before proceeding to court.