President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has thrown his weight behind Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, praising his handling of the National Service Authority (NSA) scandal as bold, transparent, and essential for public education.
Cudjoe’s remarks were in response to criticism from the New Patriotic Party’s Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah, who had accused the Attorney General of breaching due process by publicly naming former NSA officials allegedly involved in a GH¢548 million payroll fraud before court proceedings had commenced.
“I am totally opposed to your viewpoint that these persons are being persecuted,” Cudjoe stated on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, June 15. “I think rather we should doff our hats to the AG and his department, who are doing what I call public interest education. You see, if you don’t educate the public and carry them along, sometimes even justice could be procured.”
His comments follow a June 13 press briefing where Dr. Ayine disclosed findings of a sweeping payroll fraud scheme at the NSA and named 12 former officials, including prominent figures such as Mustapha Ussif, Osei Assibey Antwi, and Gifty Oware-Mensah.
Ahiagbah had strongly opposed the public disclosure, arguing that it risked violating the constitutional presumption of innocence and amounted to “convicting people in the court of public opinion.”
However, Cudjoe pushed back, insisting that the public’s right to information in cases involving large-scale financial misconduct outweighs concerns about premature judgment. He argued that transparency from the Attorney General’s office strengthens democratic accountability and fosters trust in the justice system.
For Cudjoe, shining a light on alleged corruption is not persecution—it’s education. And in his view, the Attorney General’s proactive approach is a necessary tool for building public confidence in legal processes.
