Private legal practitioner and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has criticized the decision by prosecutors to file 78 charges against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and others, describing it as a sign of poor prosecutorial judgment.
Speaking on Joy FM’s ‘Newsfile’ programme on Saturday, Mr. Bentil argued that piling up dozens of charges against an accused person does not strengthen a case but rather creates the impression of overreach and weak case-building.
“Any prosecutor who files 78 charges is not serious,” he said, stressing that prosecutors should focus on clear, well-structured and provable charges, instead of overwhelming the courts with numerous counts arising from the same set of facts.
Bentil explained that in criminal justice practice, multiple counts are often merged or struck out by courts, especially when they are repetitive or stem from a single transaction. According to him, such excessive charging can delay trials, waste judicial time, and undermine public confidence in the prosecution process.
His comments come amid intense public debate over recent high-profile prosecutions, with concerns being raised about selective justice, abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and the politicization of criminal trials.
Bentil has consistently called for professional restraint, fairness, and constitutional fidelity in Ghana’s justice system, urging prosecutors to prioritize quality over quantity when bringing cases before the courts.
The Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) earlier this year initiated a comprehensive indictment against Ofori-Atta, alleging a pattern of criminal conduct in the dealings between the government of Ghana and Strategic Mobilization Limited (SML).
Mr Ofori‑Atta, alongside a cohort of business figures and former public officials, stands accused across a broad spectrum of counts ranging from corruption to breach of public trust.
While the Special Prosecutor’s office has maintained that the breadth of the charges reflects the complexity and gravity of the alleged misconduct, Mr Bentil believes the strategy may prove counter‑productive. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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