Claim: 

The immediate past Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has insisted that the High Court heard and determined the perjury case levelled against the state’s key and third prosecution witness, Dr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah, in the now withdrawn prosecution of former COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr. Stephen Opuni and Businessman Seidu Agongo.

Verdict:

The claim by Godfred Dame is False

Facts:

Mr. Godfred Dame has responded to claims by his successor, Dr. Dominic Ayine, at a press conference on February 12, 2025, in which the latter described as “totally unacceptable”, the decision by the retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, sitting as an additional High Court judge, to adjourn sine die the perjury application Dr. Stephen Opuni, the first accused person, in January 2020 brought against prosecution’s star witness, Dr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah, who, Dr. Ayine said, “lied under oath, to implicate the accused persons…”

At a press conference on February 14, 2025, the former Attorney General accused his successor of “most bizarrely, attacking the integrity of a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Clemence Honyenuga and the Honourable Chief Justice, albeit unjustifiably. Dr. Ayine claimed that a perjury application filed by Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni against a witness was not heard by Justice Honyenuga and that “this is most unacceptable”. Regrettably, this is another falsehood in Dr. Ayine’s press statement. The trial court ruled on the said perjury application. The applicant proceeded to the Court of Appeal.”

Godfred Dame also alleged, “I repeat that the tendency of an Attorney-General to peddle untruthful allegations against the prosecuting team and judges sitting on cases being prosecuted by his Office, is highly unprofessional.”

When he was pressed further by the media during his encounter with them, he maintained, “The perjury application was ruled by the judge and the applicants who are the accused persons for that matter appealed to the Court of Appeal. So it's not correct that the perjury application was not determined.”

However, checks from court proceedings, searches on the internet and from other credible sources, do not support the position of Godfred Yeboah Dame.

The former A-G also fell short of stating emphatically that Dr. Adu-Ampomah was cleared of the perjury except to say the application was heard.

Interestingly, there are several news reports that confirm that Godfred Dame lied when he said the perjury application was heard.

It must be recalled that when the High Court presided over by then Justice Honyenuga called the perjury case on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, the respondent (Adu-Ampomah), came with four lawyers led by Stephen Asante Bekoe. Whilst counsel for Dr. Opuni, lawyer Samuel Cudjoe was on his feet moving the motion for the perjury, the trial judge interrupted him and requested to give his opinion on the application.

Justice Honyenuga subsequently declared: “this application ought not to be heard now”. He had argued that summary proceeding should rather “follow and not precede” the giving of judgement in an ongoing case in which the perjury is involved.

 “To avoid prejudice and ensure fair play and justice, it is desirable that this motion should be adjourned to wait the full trial of this case, consequently…the motion is adjourned sine die,” Justice Honyenuga ruled as reported by 3news.com. Check: https://3news.com/news/cocobod-trial-perjury-case-against-ags-witness-adjourned-indefinitely/

Dr. Opuni’s application at the Appeal’s Court on the perjury was based on the refusal of the trial judge to hear his application, contrary to what was suggested by Godfred Dame at his press conference that he went to the Appeal’s Court after the substantive application was heard.

Conclusion: 

It is evidently clear that Mr. Godfred Dame misrepresented fact and peddled falsehood when he asserted that the perjury application against prosecution witness Dr. Adu-Ampomah was heard by the High Court formerly presided over by Justice Honyenuga. Check this link too: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Perjury-motion-against-Dr-Adu-Ampomah-adjourned-sine-die-850618