Former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has strongly criticized the current Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, over his decision to withdraw several high-profile criminal cases, describing the move as politically motivated and unjustified.

 Ayikoi Otoo dismissed Dr. Ayine’s explanations, arguing that the same civil servants in the Attorney-General’s Department who worked on the cases had deemed them prosecutable.

He alleged that the decision to drop the cases was influenced by the fact that the accused individuals were members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“There is no justification whatsoever for these withdrawals,” Ayikoi Otoo stated.

“They know these are their people, and they cannot allow them to be tried.”

Citing the case of Dr. Johnson Asiamah, he pointed out that the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana was immediately appointed as the substantive Governor after charges against him were dropped.

Ayikoi Otoo acknowledged that Attorneys-General have the power to discontinue cases but insisted that the current AG owed the public a better explanation, given the nature of the cases involved.

In response, Dr. Ayine, during a press conference on Wednesday, defended his decision, citing ethical and legal considerations.

“For ethical and professional reasons, I could not in good conscience continue prosecuting some of these cases,” he explained. “Some charges were defective, while others lacked legal merit and did not align with common sense.”