No memo advised dropping charges against Johnson Asiama — Dame debunks Ayine

Former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has challenged his successor, Dr. Dominic Ayine, to provide evidence of a memo recommending the withdrawal of charges against current Bank of Ghana Governor, Johnson Asiama.

Dame insists that no such document exists and asserts that the decision to drop the charges was based on falsehoods.

On Wednesday, February 12, Dr. Ayine defended his decision to discontinue prosecution against Dr. Asiama, citing a case review that exposed significant weaknesses in the evidence.

He claimed his reassessment uncovered an internal memo from the prosecution division of the Attorney General's office, which advised former AG Godfred Yeboah Dame to drop the charges due to concerns over the case's strength.

Speaking to journalists, Dr. Ayine emphasized the memo's role in shaping his decision.

“My review of some of the cases revealed fatal flaws in the case of the prosecution. A few of the examples are in order. In two of the banking trials ongoing, I took the decision to withdraw the charges against Mr. Johnson Asiama for the simple reason that in the course of my review of the cases, my attention was drawn to an internal memo prepared by the prosecutions division of our department for the attention of the former AG, the Hon. Godfred Yeboah Dame, which recommended that the charges against him be dropped. This is very significant,” he stated.

However, at a press conference on Friday, February 14, Dame refuted the existence of such a memo and called on Dr. Ayine to present it.

“Let me state for the record, that, to the best of my knowledge, no such memorandum exists. I do not recall receiving any such memo from the Prosecutions Division.

“I challenge Dr. Ayine to produce such a memo for the examination of the public as he has touted same to the public at a press conference as the basis for his impugned actions.”

-Citinewsroom