NDC man sues AG for defending Ofori-Atta in bond saga

The Eastern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mark Oliver Kevor, has challenged the capacity of the Attorney General to serve as a legal representative for the Finance Minister in a petition before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), calling for an investigation into the alleged conflict of interest in the $2.25 billion bond issue.

Mr. Kevor, who has filed a suit at the Supreme Court, is praying the court to the stop AG from representing the finance minister.

[contextly_sidebar id=”eX9PMOEGxbrqmRxRX3LdPthkylwyXQRW”]According to the plaintiff, the action of the AG in responding to the petition on behalf of Ken Ofori -Atta is unconstitutional and must be declared null void.

The suit comes after the Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, in a 16-page response to CHRAJ’s enquiry in a petition brought by the Ashanti Regional NDC organizer, Yaw Brogya Gyamfi, defended the Finance Minister over allegations that he may have been involved in a conflict of interest situation in the $2.25 billion domestic bond issued by government.

Mr. Genfi petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the bond on grounds that the Mr. Ofori-Atta attempted to “promote a personal interest for himself, as well as family and friends, which interfered with the objective exercise of his duties.”

A member of the NDC legal team, Abraham Amaliba, had previously described the Attorney General’s office’s decision to respond to the petition brought before CHRAJ as an irregularity.

Mr. Amaliba explained that, the defence from the AG’s office was wrong, because “the case before CHRAJ is a case personal to Ken Ofori Atta. It is a matter which in effect says that a public officer has used his private interests to allow that to override the public interest.”

The plaintiff is seeking:

1. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the provisions of the 1992 Constitution, particularly Articles 88(5), 218(a) and (e), 284 and 287 thereof, the 1^st defendant cannot act as the legal representative for Honourable Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori Atta, the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Ghana, in a pending investigation bordering on conflict of interest and abuse of office before the 2^nd Defendant;
2. A further declaration that the purported response filed by the 1^st Defendant on behalf of the said Honorable Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori Atta in respect of the petition concerning conflict of interest and abuse of office before the 2^nd Defendant is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever;
3. An order of perpetual injunction directed at the office od the 1^st Defendant restraining it from acting or purporting to act on behalf of Honourable Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori Atta in respect of the said petition before the 2^nd Defendant; and
4. Any further or other orders as this honourable court would deem feet in the circumstances.

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By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana