The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation or dismissal of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, accusing him of incompetence and failing to follow due legal process in the release of GH¢350 million from the Contingency Fund to support victims of the recent floods.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei argued that the Attorney-General’s actions breached constitutional and legal procedures governing withdrawals from the Contingency Fund.
According to her, the Attorney-General’s own correspondence directed the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to facilitate the release of the funds despite ongoing court proceedings over the matter.
“The Attorney-General’s letter speaks for itself. It directed the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to give effect to the release of funds from the Contingency Fund notwithstanding the pending court procedures,” she said.
She further questioned how the funds were released when the legal process had not been concluded.
“The Ministry of Finance subsequently announced that the GH¢350 million had been released while the court process remained unresolved. The unavoidable question, therefore, is: how did the money move?” she asked.
The Minority maintained that the situation could have been handled lawfully and swiftly if the Attorney-General had followed the proper legal channels.
“Any competent Attorney-General could have secured the lawful release of these funds within 24 hours by moving the courts, disclosing the urgency, and allowing the judicial process to work as it was designed to.”
Hon Patricia Appiagyei stressed that flood victims deserved prompt assistance but insisted that emergency interventions must still comply with the law.
“The flood victims of this country deserved an Attorney-General who would act competently and within the law. They did not get him,” she said.
The Minority Caucus has therefore demanded that the Attorney-General resign immediately. They also urged President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss him if he refuses to step down.
“Should he fail to do the right thing, we call on the President, who swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, to relieve him of office without delay,” she stated.
