A private legal practitioner, Kwaku Paintsil has voiced disagreement with High Court Judge Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe’s suggestion that Attorney General Godfred Dame should recuse himself from the ambulance procurement case.
In an interview on JoyNews on Thursday, June 6, Kweku Paintsil argued that there is no valid justification for the Attorney General to step aside.
“An advice is an advice; you can take it or leave it. I don’t personally, with due respect, see any justification for the Attorney General to recuse himself from the case,” Paintsil stated.
The comment followed the judge’s advice for the Attorney General to recuse himself from the case involving Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa, due to allegations of professional and prosecutorial misconduct.
Mr. Paintsil explained that the specific allegation against the Attorney General was dismissed by the judge, and he asserted, “I am not too sure that it is going to have any impact on the substantive trial. Even if there is any such allegation that can be proven, it does not hold the substance of the matter before the judge. It is an issue of the conduct of the Attorney General which may be tried in a different forum.”
He further noted that if the judge had sufficient reasons to recuse the Attorney General, she would have the authority to do so. However, in this instance, he believes there are no compelling reasons for such an action.
As a result, Paintsil concluded that the Attorney General is not obligated to follow the judge’s advice, though he acknowledged that it would be acceptable if the Attorney General chose to do so.
Source: modernghana.com
