Private legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has strongly criticised the actions of the Special Prosecutor (SP) and Parliament in their handling of the pursuit of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Sory, in an opinion piece, questioned the fairness of SP Kissi Agyebeng’s conduct in declaring Ofori-Atta a fugitive from justice and labelling security officials who invaded his home as rogues, as well as the necessity of Parliament’s involvement in the matter.
At the core of Sory’s argument is the fundamental principle of justice that no individual should be judged without first being heard.
He says this principle, deeply rooted in natural law, was demonstrated even in biblical accounts where Adam was given the opportunity to explain himself before facing consequences.
Sory disagreed with the SP’s approach to the case, particularly in branding the actions of certain state officials who entered the former Minister’s residence as “roguish.”
According to him, the SP acknowledged that these individuals were state officials carrying out their official duties, yet failed to seek an explanation before condemning them.
He questioned the authority of the SP to determine the lawfulness of other officials’ actions, arguing that such judgments should be based on established legal procedures rather than personal assessments.
Furthermore, Sory criticized the Special Prosecutor’s handling of the case, stating that if there were sufficient grounds for prosecuting Ken Ofori-Atta, the appropriate legal processes should be followed rather than issuing repeated public statements.
He suggested that Kissi Agyebeng’s actions amounted to grandstanding, wasting valuable time and resources while failing to produce tangible results.
In addition to faulting the SP, Sory took issue with Parliament’s involvement in the matter and questioned why Parliament found it necessary to apologise to Ofori-Atta in this particular case when similar considerations were not extended to other individuals who have faced questionable treatment by security agencies.
He challenged whether the former Minister had any special immunity that warranted parliamentary scrutiny over his investigation.
Sory, drawing from his own experiences as a legal practitioner, emphasised the importance of allowing law enforcement agencies to carry out their work without unnecessary public commentary or political interference.
He urged all stakeholders to adhere to the principle of fairness, ensuring that every individual under investigation is given the opportunity to respond before any conclusions are drawn.
Read Thaddeus Sory’s full opinion here.
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