THE Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has explained that the severity of criminal offences determines the bail conditions set by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
He stated that the justification for bail conditions in recent criminal cases were not new and that there was no intent on the part of EOCO and his office to impose arbitrary bail conditions on government appointees of the previous government.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Dr Ayine stressed that the bail conditions in recent cases were neither new nor arbitrary, and were not intended to target government appointees of the previous administration.
“Bail depends on the gravity of the crime. What we are seeing now involves very large sums in criminal investigations,” he said.
He further explained that the bail amounts are set to ensure suspects appear in court and to offset potential criminal liability should a suspect fail to attend trial.
Dr Ayine added that suspects who consider their bail conditions excessive have the right to apply to the court for a review.
On the matter of Mrs Sedinam Tamakloe-Attionu, the former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Dr Ayine said his office was awaiting the completion of extradition proceedings from the United States, where she is currently located, to serve her jail sentence in Ghana.
The International Cooperation Unit of the Attorney-General’s Department followed up on a request submitted last year by the U.S. Department of Justice, which indicated that extradition would proceed once all legal requirements are met.
Dr Ayine clarified that there was no need to issue an Interpol notice for Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu, as she has already been tried and convicted.
“All we want is for her to be extradited to serve her sentence,” he said.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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