Nana B narrates how Sedina Tamakloe's acquittal was 'masterminded' and 'choreographed'
The National Organiser of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B), has described the acquittal of former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu as "well orchestrated" and claims the prosecution against her was never serious.
In an exclusive interview with Class News' Prince Benjamin (PB), reacting to Thursday's Court of Appeal ruling, Nana B said the outcome was no surprise, arguing the Attorney-General's office had deliberately put up a weak case.
"This was expected. This was well orchestrated and choreographed," he said.
"Even when they initiated these extradition processes, you could see there was some relaxed effort from the Attorney General's office. All their responses, for me, were very lame."
He said the NPP only found out Tamakloe-Attionu had been brought back to Ghana through the party's contacts in the United States.
"She was kept in a room. We didn't even know where she was until the Minority exposed their agenda. And then they quickly came to say they are sending her to Nsawam. Then the following week, we are told her lawyers are going to the Court of Appeal," he said.
"For me, this was expected. The Attorney General [intentionally] put in a very, very weak defence."
He said the weak defence left the court with no real choice but to acquit her.
"So if the prosecutor before the Court of Appeal is unable to defend its own case, clearly, it will have no other option than to say she is acquitted and discharged."
Nana Boakye said this fits a wider pattern of the government dropping cases against people linked to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), pointing to Ernest Thompson, Kwabena Duffuor, Bank of Ghana Governor Dr Johnson Asiama, and Collins Dauda, all cases in which the Attorney-General entered a nolle prosequi.
"They said we're in power now so let's take all our people out of court," he alleged.
He said this had damaged public trust in the government's anti-corruption efforts.
"This has created the deep seated impression to Ghanaians that they are not really fighting corruption," he said.
He argued the cases should have been allowed to continue in court.
"They should have let the cases run their full length in court," he said.
On the Bank of Ghana Governor's case, he noted that Dr Asiama's appointment was confirmed shortly after he was cleared.
"This is a government that is not seeking to fight corruption. This is a government seeking to clear its own people," he said.
He described Madam Tamakloe-Attionu's case as evidence that the government protects its own while going after opposition figures.
"Sedina Tamakloe's case is just an example of how this government intends to harass opposition party and rather intends to free their own people when the court had said they had a case to answer and ruled for them to open their defence... Then the Attorney General comes in and enters nolle prosequi, freeing all of them," he said.
On the circumstances of her release, he said: "A fugitive from justice, who run away, was convicted and quickly because she is an NDC person and they are in power, they bring her in, and then the entire plan is to clean her up, so the Attorney General is to put up a very weak defence before the Court of Appeal and that is the result."
The Court of Appeal acquitted and discharged Tamakloe-Attionu on Thursday, overturning her conviction and 10-year prison sentence after ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Nana Boakye contrasted this with the Attorney-General's approach to the case of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard 'Wontumi' Antwi-Boasiako, who is serving a 20-year sentence over an illegal mining (galamsey) conviction, saying Dr Dominic Ayine has been far more aggressive in that case.