Minority leader: 'Legal knockouts' to AG is testimony of her incompetence

Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu The Minority Leader in Parliament says the ‘legal knockouts’ handed to government in recent high profile cases is enough testimony of the Attorney General’s lack of experience. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu during the vetting of Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu for the Attorney General’s position questioned her lack of experience in litigation and doubted if she could carry government on her shoulders. He said the continued defeats suffered by Betty Mould in just three months of legal battle for government is a vindication of his earlier concerns. Government has lost three high profile cases against Sammy Crabbe the NPP’s Greater Accra Regional chairman, and a back-to-back defeats to Akwasi Osei Adjei, ex Foreign Affairs Minister, with the last being Tuesday’s quashing by the Appeals Court for a stay of execution filed by the AG. The court ordered the AG to return the seized passports of the ex-Foreign Affairs Minister to him in seven days. In an interview with Joy News, the minority leader insisted most of President Mills ministerial materials including the AG had no merit but said it was difficult under the circumstances to disqualify any of them. “Without doubt as an individual the AG during the vetting appeared to have exuded confidence but I think she herself had limited experience as far as combing the laws of the country and holding the fort for government and indeed the state (is concerned). “The problem with our vetting is that you cannot disqualify anybody on the basis of his incompetence or otherwise. “My prime concern is where she (AG) might lead us as a nation, if she proves incapable of applying the finest comb to our laws,” he said. He would not accept arguments that the AG might not necessarily have represented government on the defeated cases, saying as head of government’s legal team, he must take ultimate responsibility. But lawyer and NDC sympathizer David Annan said the minority leaders’ arguments are inaccurate. He maintained the trial judge in the ex-Foreign Minister’s case erred in judgement adding the AG is doing quite well. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana