Justice Srem Sai condemns Akufo-Addo’s handling of petitions against top officials

Ghanaian

Justice Srem Sai, a private legal practitioner has expressed disappointment in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s handling of petitions calling for the removal of high-ranking state officials.

His remarks follow the President's submission of a petition to the Chief Justice seeking the removal of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng. This petition, filed by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu, accuses Agyebeng of

Read full articlerefusing to provide information requested through several Right to Information applications.

Amidu alleged that his request for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to furnish him with appointment letters and salary details of OSP staff has gone unanswered. On April 30, 2024, Amidu, also a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, petitioned President Akufo-Addo to impeach Agyebeng as head of the anti-graft agency, sparking questions about the President’s motives.

In an interview on The Big Issue on Citi TV, Justice Sai criticized the President’s response to such petitions, calling it “seriously disappointing” over the years.

“I think the president’s conduct when it comes to petitions for the removal of such high officers of the state has been disappointing. It has been seriously disappointing over the years. There’ve been petitions which have been sent, and some of them have not been even acknowledged in certain situations,” Sai stated.

He pointed out that some petitions have not even been acknowledged, raising concerns about the President’s swift action on the petition against Agyebeng.

“Some of the petitions will be ignored, some of them even take too long to be sent and so many impediments have been put in the way of these petitions right from the office of the presidency. That’s why it seems to be a legitimate concern when he speedily and efficiently submitted this one and everybody gets the impression that he has a personal interest in this one,” Sai added.