Okaikwei Central Member of Parliament, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has stated that Ghanaians should have no problem with the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
The private legal practitioner stressed that the former state official pursued the legitimate court process to have her conviction overturned, a process he says all citizens must respect.
He was responding to the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which acquitted and discharged Tamakloe-Attionu following her earlier trial in absentia and subsequent 10-year prison sentence in 2024.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with host Kwabena Agyapong on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the lawmaker posited that Ghanaians must respect the outcome of the case because she went through the legal process and the law is now on her side.
He noted that the judicial system exists to ensure wrongs are corrected, injustice and criminality are addressed, human rights are protected, and abuses against the poor and underprivileged are righted.
He maintained that outcomes from the courts must be respected, regardless of personal opinions.
“I am a practising lawyer. I go to court all the time. My party also believes in the rule of law. It is one of our cornerstones and our values. Whether you are poor, old, young, or adult and you feel abused, cheated, or offended, it is the law you will use in fighting for your rights. So if Sedina has been extradited, arrived in Ghana, and her lawyers had represented her in court, judges empanelled and she has been acquitted, I don’t have any problem with that. I have not even seen the ruling, nor have I seen the grounds of appeal. As we say, the law is in the bosom of the judges or justices of the court.”
Reacting to assertions that convicted persons need not worry because political change could lead to their release, the Okaikwei Central MP dismissed the notion.
“That is the opinion of others. It is not the opinion of the NPP. We believe in the rule of law. When you offend the law, you must face the punishment for it. If you did no wrong, the law should also speak for you. Everything must be done in accordance with the law. The law should not be seen to be effective for only the rich and against the poor. That is what the court has said about the Sedina case and we respect it.”
He added that the court of public opinion carries no weight in a court of law, emphasizing that despite public reservations, the acquittal ought to be upheld.
“The court of public opinion does not have any grounds in law or have any influence in the court of law. I don’t want to thrive on that. I just want to follow what the court has said.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
