Private legal practitioner Kwame Adofo has cautioned against what he describes as a growing trend of “media trials” in Ghana’s legal system, condemning the Attorney-General’s decision to hold a press conference on a suspect who had not yet been charged.
Adofo criticized the move, arguing that such public pronouncements risk undermining the principle of fair trial and due process.
“Look, it’s unprecedented. Unprecedented in a sense that it’s never happened before in the history of this country that I can recall, where a suspect who has not been charged with any offence whatsoever would have a press conference organised about them. It’s unbelievable,” he on Asaase Radio.
He further noted that such actions could influence public opinion and put undue pressure on the judiciary. “I cannot recall any Attorney-General in the past to have done that. Marietta Brew, I don’t recall her doing that. Godfred Dame, I don’t recall him doing that. I don’t recall any other Attorney-General organising a press conference on a suspect or somebody they believe has committed an offence, even before the person has been charged,” he emphasized.
Adofo argued that legal matters should be handled strictly within the courtroom, not in press briefings where conclusions are drawn prematurely. He was particularly concerned about the Attorney-General’s assertion that the case was “criminally designed.”
“What is mind-boggling is where I heard that everything was criminally designed. That is a conclusion of fact—not meant for an ordinary prosecutor, police officer, or an offender to draw. It is unbelievable. It should never have been organised, and it should never have been held,” he remarked.
