I never held grudges against those behind my imprisonment during Kufuor's regime — Tsatsu Tsikata
Renowned Ghanaian lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata has revealed that he harbours no bitterness towards individuals involved in his imprisonment during the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
He made the remarks at the UPSA Law School honourific lecture and awards ceremony held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, themed “Celebrating the Lifetime Achievements of Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata.”
Reflecting on his experience, Mr Tsikata said he has consciously chosen not to hold grudges despite the circumstances surrounding his incarceration.
“By God's grace, I have never harboured any grudges or felt bitterness against any of those who were involved in all that happened to me during the Kufuor regime,” he stated.
He, however, stressed that he would not wish such an experience on anyone, regardless of political affiliation.
“However, I do not wish such a desecration of justice as I experienced on anyone, no matter their political affiliation. I do not want to hear of the police going to a church on Sunday to arrest anyone,” he added.
His comments come against the backdrop of a high profile legal battle that sparked widespread national debate on justice, the rule of law and governance in Ghana.
Mr Tsikata, a former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), was convicted in 2008 on charges of causing financial loss to the state during the tenure of former President John Agyekum Kufuor. The case stemmed from a loan guarantee he authorised in the 1990s while serving as GNPC boss, involving a private company that later defaulted on its obligations.
While prosecutors argued that his actions resulted in financial loss to the state, his defence maintained that the decision was taken in the national interest and within his mandate.
He was sentenced to five years imprisonment by an Accra Fast Track High Court, a ruling that generated intense public debate, with critics describing the trial as politically motivated while others viewed it as an effort to enforce accountability in public office.
Mr Tsikata served part of his sentence at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison before being granted a presidential pardon in 2009 by the late former President John Evans Atta Mills.
In 2010, the Supreme Court of Ghana quashed his conviction, ruling that the trial had been flawed and constituted a miscarriage of justice, effectively clearing him of wrongdoing.
The case remains one of Ghana’s most widely discussed legal and political episodes, often cited in debates on law, governance and political transitions.