Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine has revealed that before he assumed office, the Prosecutions Division of the Attorney General’s Department had recommended that criminal charges against the current Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr. Johnson Asiama, be dropped.

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However, his predecessor, Godfred Yeboah Dame, ignored the advice and proceeded with the case.

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“This was the advice from the Prosecutions Division of the Attorney General’s Department to the former Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, which recommended that the charges should be dropped,” Dr. Ayine stated.

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Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Dr. Ayine explained that the legal counsel provided by the department made it difficult for him to justify continuing the prosecution.

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“Based on these revelations, it was difficult for me to press ahead with the prosecution of the current Governor of the Bank of Ghana, and that is why I dropped all the charges against him,” he said.

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Citing Rule 40(2)(a) of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 2020 (L.I. 2423), Dr. Ayine defended his decision, stating:

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“In coming to this decision, I am fortified by the Rule 40(2)(a) of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 2020 (L.I. 2423) which provides that, in a criminal case, a prosecutor shall refrain from prosecuting a charge that the prosecutor knows is not supported by the facts.”

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Dr. Johnson Asiama, then the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, was among several individuals prosecuted by the state in 2020. The charges included fraudulent breach of trust, money laundering, conspiracy to commit crime, and violations of the Bank of Ghana Act.

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Specifically, Dr. Asiama was accused of unlawfully granting a GH₵300 million facility to Universal Merchant Bank and causing financial loss to the state amounting to GH₵150 million.

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Addressing concerns over financial loss, Dr. Ayine disclosed that a significant portion of the funds had been recovered.

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“I did not see the need to pursue the case. Evidence adduced so far fell significantly short of what was required to convict the accused. I therefore find it interesting that the state pressed ahead with prosecution, which I consider as a total waste of time,” he said.

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However, he clarified that not all cases had been abandoned.

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“I have not yet dropped the charges against the remaining accused persons because I am currently in discussions with the receivers in order to understand the financial implications of any decision I may take in these cases,” he added.

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