Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem-Sai has dismissed claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the conviction of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, was politically motivated.
Speaking on TV3 yesterday, Dr. Srem-Sai described the party’s claims as “shocking,” insisting that the evidence relied upon by the court largely came from Chairman Wontumi’s own defence.
According to him, the judge’s decision was based on evidence presented by defence witnesses, statements made by the accused person, and his police statements.
“Most of the evidence that the judgment relied on came from their defence,” Dr. Srem-Sai stated.
He explained that the materials presented by the defence formed the basis for the court’s conclusions, making it difficult to support claims that the conviction amounted to political persecution.
Dr. Srem-Sai argued that the NPP’s reaction was political rather than legal.
He noted that the party held a press conference and described the conviction as political persecution before members had even obtained a copy of the judgment.
According to him, it was unlikely the party would withdraw its earlier position after reading the judgment.
“They had not even seen the judgment when they made those claims. Now that they have seen it, they are unlikely to come back and admit they were wrong,” he said.
Dr. Srem-Sai further stated that, so far, no one has identified any specific part of the judgment that demonstrates a serious legal error.
He maintained that the conviction was based on the evidence before the court and not on political considerations.
By: Jacob Aggrey