A senior member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has said that he never agreed with the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, on his calls for the government to enter a nolle prosequi in the case involving the Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson, which is currently before the court.
Clarifying his comments, which were first made in an interview on Citi FM, the astute lawyer told GhanaWeb in another interview that his words were misrepresented.
He insisted that what he said, and which has been reported across multiple platforms, was not that he supports the calls of the chief, but they were only in response to a question.
“I was asked if what the Dormaahene said was an order to the Attorney General, or if the Attorney General, on his own, can take an administrative decision or a political decision and I said in my view, it is not the fact that a person has won the elections that is why a nolle prosequi has to be entered.
“The seat, I believe, is something that the NPP is looking for, looking at the numbers in parliament now… so that if we can annex the Assin North, it would boost our numbers, but I don’t think that an Attorney General can act on such a sensitive matter on his own. He’s not an independent person… and therefore, even if he wanted to do such a thing, I believe that he needs to do broad consultations with the party, including even putting a paper to Cabinet…,” he explained.
Nii Ayikoi Otoo further explained that what he said was in no way in support of the Dormaahene’s calls, and that all he sought to do was respond to a question on what it would take for an AG to enter into a nolle prosequi.
He added that his comments were never in support of anyone’s calls and that even if he made such a call, it is not automatic that the NPP can easily win the Assin North seat.
“I added that assuming that they succeeded in jailing him, they would still declare the seat vacant and the NPP would have to go and contest. Is it likely that we can ever win, so that having considered all the pros and cons, we think that, perhaps, it would be better, for the future… to enter a nolle prosequi, why not… and this is what has gone viral that I had agreed with a chief that we should enter a nolle prosequi… I have not called; I have not said it’s a good thing to go and enter.
“MPs are tried all the time. Is the Minority Leader himself not before court? As if you cannot be tried as an MP? You can be tried,” he added.
James Gyakye Quayson is being tried in court in a criminal case involving his dual citizenship.
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Ayikoi Otoo is a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice
