Nii Ayikoi Otoo, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has suggested that it would be in the best interest of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the current Attorney-General to consider discontinuing the criminal case against James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament-elect for the area.
In an interview on Eyewitness News on Monday, Nii Ayikoi Otoo emphasized the political prudence of entering a nolle prosequi in the case, taking into account the wider public sentiment and the reaction of the people of Assin North.
However, he noted that the Attorney-General alone does not have the authority to make such a decision unless it is agreed upon by the Cabinet.
Nii Ayikoi Otoo expressed concerns about the potential consequences of continuing with the trial. He highlighted the possibility of a conviction followed by the MP’s subsequent release, leading to another by-election.
He questioned whether the people of Assin North would feel comfortable voting for the NPP party in the future and if they would be willing to forgive the party. He emphasized that these factors should be taken into consideration.
“In the matter of negotiations, if we [NPP] want to win elections in Assin North next time and we go on with this trend and then we convict him, in the likely event that we convict him, and then he gets out again, we are going to go into another by-election, this time not with him, but what will the people of Assin North think of the NPP. Will they be ever comfortable voting us into power, will they decide never to forgive us anymore. This is what we should be looking at.”
“It will be a good thing to enter a nolle prosequi and stop all this to show more maturity but you cannot as an Attorney-General do it on your own, you are not independent, you are part of a whole.”
“The Attorney-General is bound by Cabinet decision and Cabinet secrecy even if he disagrees, once it has been taken, you are bound,” he said on the Citi FM Eyewitness News on Monday, July 3.
“So, if you ask me, what I will tell you is that there is the need for some negotiation, a broader conversation on the matter,” he stressed.
