Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President of IMANI-Africa, has condemned the prosecution of Dr. Ato Forson by the Akufo-Addo’s administration, describing it as the worst abuse of prosecutorial discretion in Ghana’s history.
Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine has dropped several high-profile cases involving officials and associates of the previous Mahama administration, including the former National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo, among others.
However, Mr Simons backed the Attorney General’s decision to discontinue the case, stating that his independent analysis revealed major flaws in the prosecution’s approach.
“I also agree with the discontinuation of the Ato Forson case because I personally investigated the matter as an independent analyst, and it is the worst abuse of prosecutorial discretion we have seen in this country,” Bright Simons said during an interview with Joy FM.
Simons explained that the case was built around a letter of credit, a financial instrument designed to manage risk in transactions.
He argued that the existence of such an arrangement should not have been grounds for criminal charges.
Background
Dr. Ato Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister under the previous Mahama administration, had been on trial at the Accra High Court over allegations of causing a financial loss of €2 million in an ambulance procurement deal.
However, on July 30, 2024, the Court of Appeal acquitted and discharged him, ruling that there was no case against him.
Subsequently, the Attorney General formally dropped any further proceedings at the Supreme Court in a notice filed on January 24, 2025.
