Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Godfred Yeboah Dame has strongly rejected attempts to hold him and the Akufo-Addo administration responsible for the acquittal and discharge of former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, describing the allegations as “false and misleading.”
In a detailed 14-point press statement issued on 31 July 2026, Dame accused communicators of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and government officials of deliberately distorting the facts surrounding the Court of Appeal’s decision.
He argued that the official court record vindicates his handling of the case and maintained that he successfully pursued Attionu’s prosecution and extradition while in office.
No notice of appeal during my tenure
Dame’s central argument is that his office was never served with any notice of appeal allegedly filed by Attionu in 2024.
According to him, state attorneys informed the Court of Appeal in April 2026 that they only became aware of the appeal after the court directed both parties to file written submissions.
He said that even if an appeal had been filed in 2024, it had no practical effect because no further steps were taken by Attionu until after the NDC returned to power.
“Thus, the Republic had to do nothing in 2024 in terms of the conduct of that appeal,” he stated.
Defends extradition efforts
The former Attorney-General also defended his decision to pursue Attionu’s extradition from the United States after she was convicted by the High Court in Ghana.
He noted that the extradition request was upheld by the United States District Court of Nevada on 9 April 2026, which confirmed her extradition and committed her to custody pending a final decision by the U.S. Secretary of State.
Dame argued that throughout the extradition proceedings, which ran from July 2024 to April 2026, no reference was made to any pending appeal against her conviction.
Appeal proceedings occurred after he left office
The former Attorney-General stressed that key developments in the appeal process took place after he had left office.
He said Attionu’s lawyers obtained leave to file written submissions in February 2026, while state attorneys subsequently filed their opposition submissions in April 2026.
According to him, the prosecutors complained to the Court of Appeal about not being served with the notice of appeal, the incomplete record of appeal, and the omission of prosecution exhibits from the court record.
He further stated that the Court of Appeal ordered additional volumes of the record to be provided to the Republic and later granted an application to include three documents in the appeal record.
“All of this occurred after my tenure as Attorney-General had ended,” he said.
Questions handling of appeal
Dame also highlighted that the appeal was later heard by a different panel of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Ankamah, which adjourned the matter for judgment on 17 June 2026.
He suggested that the acquittal and discharge of Attionu had generated widespread public criticism because of the evidence presented during the trial.
“The public opprobrium and rejection of the acquittal and discharge are merited considering the cogent evidence led at the trial,” he stated.
Accuses Attorney-General of selective justice
Beyond the specific legal issues, Dame launched a broader attack on the current administration’s handling of criminal prosecutions.
He alleged that the Attorney-General has shown a pattern of discontinuing cases involving individuals affiliated with the NDC while aggressively pursuing opposition figures.
“The development is consistent with the predilection of the Attorney-General to discontinue all cases being prosecuted against leading members and affiliates of the NDC,” he said.
Dame argued that the Sedina Attionu case has reinforced perceptions that Ghana’s justice system operates with “two sets of law for two sets of people.”
He claimed that equality before the law exists only in theory and compared the controversy to the infamous Woyome scandal.
Calls for higher prosecutorial standards
The former Attorney-General urged Ghanaians to demand greater accountability from the government, particularly in the conduct of criminal prosecutions.
He criticised what he described as the government’s decision to discontinue criminal cases involving its leading members while introducing policies that publicly expose opposition figures to prosecution.
“The Attorney-General in these circumstances must be held to very high standards in the prosecution of cases,” he stated.
Dame concluded by warning that a justice system perceived as favouring political allies while treating opponents unfairly would undermine public confidence in the rule of law and damage the credibility of the State.
