The immediate past Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has been caught lying about the trial of the former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Opuni and Businessman Seidu Agongo.
Mr Dame, had insisted that the High Court heard and determined the perjury case levelled against his key and third prosecution witness, Dr Yaw Adu-Ampomah, who instigated the criminal trial against Opuni and Agongo.
The ex-Attorney-General, responded to claims by his successor, Dr Dominic Ayine, at a press conference on February 12, 2025, in which the latter described as “totally unacceptable” the decision by the retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, sitting as an additional High Court judge, to adjourn sine die the perjury application of Dr. Opuni, the first accused person.
The perjury application was filed in January 2020 against the prosecution’s star witness, Dr Adu-Ampomah, who, Dr Ayine said, “lied under oath to implicate the accused persons…”
At a press conference on February 14, 2025, the former Attorney General, accused his successor of “most bizarrely, attacking the integrity of a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Clemence Honyenuga and the Honourable Chief Justice, albeit unjustifiably.
Dr Ayine, had insisted that the perjury application filed by Dr Opuni, against a witness was not heard by Justice Honyenuga and that “this is most unacceptable”.
Regrettably, this is another falsehood in Dr Ayine’s press statement. The trial court, ruled on the said perjury application. The applicant proceeded to the Court of Appeal.”
Godfred Dame, also alleged, “I repeat that the tendency of an Attorney-General to peddle untruthful allegations against the prosecuting team and judges sitting on cases being prosecuted by his office, is highly unprofessional.”
When he was pressed further by the media during his encounter with them, he maintained, “The perjury application was ruled by the judge, and the applicants who are the accused persons for that matter appealed to the Court of Appeal. So it’s not correct that the perjury application was not determined.”
However, checks from court proceedings, Internet searches, and other credible sources do not support Mr Dame’s assertion.
The former A-G, also did not emphatically state that Dr Adu-Ampomah, was cleared of perjury, except to say the application was heard.
Interestingly, several news reports confirm that Dame lied when he said the perjury application was heard.
It would be recalled that, when the High Court presided over by then Justice Honyenuga, called the perjury case on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, the respondent (Adu-Ampomah), came with four lawyers led by Stephen Asante Bekoe.
Whilst, counsel for Dr Opuni, lawyer Samuel Cudjoe, was on his feet moving the motion for the perjury, the trial judge interrupted him and requested to give his opinion on the application.
Justice Honyenuga, subsequently declared: “this application ought not to be heard now”. He had argued that summary proceedings should rather “follow and not precede” the giving of judgement in an ongoing case in which the perjury is involved.
“To avoid prejudice and ensure fair play and justice, it is desirable that this motion should be adjourned to wait for the full trial of this case, consequently…the motion is adjourned sine die,” Justice Honyenuga ruled.
Dr Opuni’s application at the Appeal’s Court on the perjury, was based on the refusal of the trial judge to hear his application, contrary to what was suggested by Godfred Dame at his press conference that he went to the Appeal’s Court after the substantive application was heard.
It is evident that Mr Dame misrepresented fact and peddled falsehood when he asserted that the perjury application against prosecution witness Dr Adu-Ampomah was heard by the High Court formerly presided over by Justice Honyenuga.
Justice Honyenuga, had adjourned sine die, a perjury motion against Dr Adu-Ampomah, the third Prosecution witness.
The Applicant (Dr Opuni), through his Counsel in the application, sought an order directed at Dr Adu-Ampomah to show why he should not be committed to prison for perjury under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, when the case was called and before Samuel Cudjoe, Counsel for Opuni, could move the motion, the presiding judge, Justice Honyenugah, an Appeal Court Judge sitting as an additional High
Court Judge, advised him to postpone the action on perjury until after the closure of the case under trial.
Justice Honyenugah, described his opinion as a wise precaution, adding that where the action was taken in a summary trial before the close of the trial, the affected accused, upon conviction, may appeal to the court on the grounds of prejudice.
He said the court would have to examine the proceedings and evidence carefully to ascertain whether perjury had resulted, and if indeed it happened, it may be necessary to quash the evidence.
Justice Honyenugah, said in this case, Dr Adu-Ampomah was still undergoing cross-examination by the Counsel for Seidu Agongo after a lengthy cross-examination from the Counsel for Dr Opuni, and the case was ongoing.
He said that the evidence given in the trial as a whole and vice versa would need to be evaluated before the perjury motion was considered.
“It is my opinion that to avoid prejudice and ensure fair play and justice, it was desirable that the motion be adjourned sine die.”
Consequently, the motion to commit Dr Yaw Adu-Ampomah for perjury was adjourned sine die.
Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo, who faced 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by a public officer and acting in contravention of the Public Procurement Act, were acquitted and discharged at the charges were dropped by Dr Ayine, who succeeded Dame had accused him.
They had pleaded not guilty and have been granted a GH¢300,000.00 each self-recognisance bail by the Court.
Interestingly, after dropping the charges, Godfred Dame accused the current government of deliberately discontinuing several high-profile criminal cases as part of a strategy to exonerate officials of the previous John Mahama administration of wrongdoing.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, February 14, 2025, Dame expressed concerns over the government’s commitment to fighting corruption, arguing that the decision was politically-motivated.
“Fellow Ghanaians, these developments irresistibly point to only one conclusion – a calculated, preconceived ploy on the part of the NDC to wipe out all criminal cases pending against its leading members and officials of the John Mahama government and clear them of wrongdoing, not by the courts, but through their Attorney General,” he stated.
Dame further described Dr Ayine’s recent press conference, where he defended the case withdrawals as a knee-jerk reaction to genuine concerns raised by Ghanaians.
“I deem the press conference hurriedly assembled by the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, as a knee-jerk reaction to genuine concerns raised by well-meaning Ghanaians. This is a clear attempt by the NDC government to shield its former officials from accountability and, as far as the law would allow, cloak them with perpetual immunity from prosecution for crimes committed against the republic of Ghana,” he remarked.
Dr Ayine, had defended his decision, insisting that his actions were guided by ethical considerations, legal principles, and a commitment to fairness and transparency.
He has withdrawn cases against Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, who was being prosecuted for causing financial loss to the state, as well as former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana Dr Johnson Asiamah (now Governor), former COCOBOD CEO, Dr Stephen Opuni, and former Minister of Works and Housing, Collins Dauda, among others.
The post Judge-shopper, Godfred Dame lies about Opuni trial appeared first on The Herald ghana.
