Barbara Asher Ayisi, the former Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, has said the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) are not learning and will suffer the same fate as the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The former deputy Minister made this known while expressing her surprise following the Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision to acquit and discharge former MASLOC CEO, Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
According to Barbara Asher Ayisi, the ruling could potentially affect the fortunes of the ruling NDC.
Barbara Asher Ayisi argued that political parties in Ghana have often failed to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.
Speaking in an interview, Barbara Asher Ayisi stated, “I wasn’t expecting that. These are some of the mistakes that we always say in my local dialect – when something happens, you have to look at it and learn from it. Whatever happened to the NPP could also happen to the NDC. We have to learn, but it looks like we are not learning”.
Asher Ayisi admitted that the NDC government started its tenure in office on a positive note, but decisions like these could negatively affect the government’s public image.
“People are not going to be happy. You know that many people were waiting to see her convicted, and then all of a sudden you hear this. It doesn’t speak well.
“But I really have to look at the judgment and read it because I want to understand what is going on before I can speak further. Usually, when you start, you start very well, but the ending is more important than the beginning,” she added.
Meanwhile, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister for Government Communications, has debunked claims that government influenced the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, criticism directed at the government over the appellate court’s ruling was misplaced.
He argued that the judiciary acted independently in determining the case, with the government having no hand in Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu’s acquittal.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that the government’s position had already been made clear by the Attorney-General during the court proceedings.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Kwakye Ofosu stated, “The stance of government on this issue has been expressed by the Attorney-General in court. One of the things we need to learn in this country is that we need to be patient in the analysis of things that come”.
“There is no basis to blame government for anything that the Court of Appeal has done. I have seen people condemning government, and there is zero basis for that. We must avoid emotive responses when there are facts,” he stated.
“It is the same judiciary that convicted her, so how is it now government’s fault that she has been acquitted? She appealed her sentence two years ago. How does government bear responsibility for a Court of Appeal ruling? Courts don’t deal with public opinion. Any claim that government bears responsibility on this matter is baseless,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, has filed an urgent application at the Court of Appeal seeking a stay of execution of the judgment that acquitted and discharged former MASLOC CEO, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu.
On Thursday, July 30, the Attorney-General’s application was filed after the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned Attionu’s conviction and 10-year prison sentence.
Dr Dominic Ayine is asking the Court of Appeal to suspend the effect of its judgment until the Supreme Court determines the state’s appeal.
The AG motion, filed by Principal State Attorney Hilda W. Craig on behalf of the Attorney-General, is supported by an affidavit sworn by Assistant State Attorney Andrew Owusu-Agyemang.
The Attorney-General in the affidavit states that the Court of Appeal’s judgment resulted in a substantial miscarriage of justice because of what he describes as material errors of law and fact on the face of the record.
The affidavit further discloses that the Republic has already filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court.
According to the Attorney-General, failing to grant a stay of execution could render the intended appeal ineffective if the acquittal remains in force.
They then ask the Court of Appeal to suspend the operation of its July 30 judgment pending the final determination of the appeal by the Supreme Court.
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