The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations has urged Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga, the presiding judge in the criminal trial of former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene, and two others, to determine the case strictly on its merits, without political pressure or public influence.
The coalition said the court must be allowed to independently assess the evidence and applicable law, insisting that neither the political affiliations of the accused persons nor the possible political consequences of the case should influence the outcome.
The call was made at a news conference addressed by the coalition, comprising SMART Generation Governance Hub (SMARTGENZ), OmanGh Interest Advocates, Alliance of Pastors for Social and Moral Development and Agenda for Security and Social Systems.
The group said it had followed with keen interest the ongoing proceedings before the Accra High Court, Specialised Jurisdiction Division, involving Mr Adu-Boahene and his co-accused.
It said the case was not only about the fate of the accused persons but also an important test of public confidence in the impartiality, fairness and independence of Ghana’s criminal justice system.
“Our position is simple: the prosecution must prove its case, the defence must be afforded every protection guaranteed by law and the court must determine the matter strictly on the evidence and the applicable law,” the coalition stated.
It stressed that the principle of equality before the law required that no individual should be placed above the law or denied the protection it guarantees.
The coalition acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations surrounding the case, recalling public disclosures that Mr Adu-Boahene had allegedly acquired more than 50 houses in locations including Accra, Oyarifa, Kumasi and London.
It also referred to allegations that approximately GH¢49.1 million had gone missing from the state institution, then known as the Bureau of National Communications.
However, the group cautioned that the magnitude of the allegations and the public attention surrounding them should not be allowed to predetermine the outcome of the trial.
It maintained that allegations, however serious, must be established through evidence presented before the court and tested in accordance with the law.
“No person should be convicted because of political pressure, public anger or the magnitude of allegations announced at a press conference,” it said.
“Equally, no person should be insulated from criminal responsibility merely because of political affiliation or institutional position.”
The group further urged the prosecution to conduct itself with fairness, accuracy and respect for the integrity of the judicial process.
According to the coalition, the responsibility of prosecutors extends beyond securing convictions to assisting the court in the administration of justice.
It, therefore, called on all parties to respect the judicial process and allow the court to perform its constitutional duties without interference.
The coalition said the prosecution must be allowed to present its case, the defence must be permitted to challenge the evidence through lawful procedures, and the trial judge must be free to determine the issues independently.
It was emphatic that its intervention was not intended to pronounce Mr Adu-Boahene or his co-accused guilty or innocent, nor to influence the court towards a predetermined decision.
Rather, it said, its concern was to ensure that the constitutional principles of judicial independence, due process and equal protection under the law were upheld in practice.
The coalition also called on the government to respect the judicial process and urged the Ghanaian public to recognise that the credibility of the justice system depended on the freedom of the courts to reach decisions based on the law rather than popular sentiment.
“The rule of law is protected not when the courts deliver the verdict we desire, but when they are free to deliver the verdict the law requires,” the statement said.
It added that Ghana deserved a justice system in which every accused person received a fair hearing, prosecutors were accountable for the accuracy of the cases they presented, judges were free from improper influence, and judgments were firmly grounded in the law.
“That is the standard we demand. That is the principle we defend. And that is the justice Ghana deserves,” the coalition declared.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
