By Akaneweo Kabiru Abdul
1) With all honesty, Justice Srem Sai has proven to be a legal charade, overhyped, over-praised, and ultimately clueless in the face of real jurisprudence and constitutional principle.
2) It is a matter of constitutional fact that no person in Ghana should be held in police or custodial cells for more than 48 hours without being brought before a competent court of law. This is not a legal technicality. It is the fundamental bedrock of Article 14(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which protects the liberty of all citizens, regardless of status or political persuasion. So when EOCO, an executive agency detains Chairman Wontumi for over 48 hours without formally charging him in court, they are not merely bending the rules but equally they are breaking the law.
3) And worse still, EOCO in a clear collusion with the Attorney General’s Department—slapped an inquiry bail condition of GHS 50 million with two sureties to be justified. What kind of judicial lunacy is this? From What I read as a layman, Inquiry bail is not a punishment and not a substitute for detention. It is a discretionary process meant to guarantee return to investigation—not a backdoor to imprisonment.
4) For clarity purpose, an onerous bail condition that is practically impossible to meet by an average Ghanaian is nothing short of state-sanctioned oppression. It is an insult to the very principles of presumption of innocence and the right to personal liberty. If you set preposterous bail conditions knowing fully well the suspect will find it difficult to meet them, you are simply imprisoning the person without a trial. That’s tyranny in disguise.
5) One of the most insulting justifications that Justice Srem Sai have attempted to float is that Chairman Wontumi is under investigation for causing financial loss to the state. And I asked, how does a private businessman cause financial loss to the State? Is Wontumi a public officer? Is he a government functionary? Is he a custodian of public funds? Arrant nonsense!
6) If Wontumi engaged in business with the State—under contract or procurement rules—then any issues with delivery, payment, or performance fall under civil contract law, not criminal law, unless there is irrefutable proof of fraud. But as it stands, no charge has been filed, and no court process has begun. Yet, they detain him, abuse his rights, and smear him on social media. Is this how law enforcement works? Personally, I see this as a political vendetta sanctioned by the president and wrapped in legal robes.
7) Someone should tell Justice Srem Sai that, he lacks the credibility to talk about fraud. When he sat in JoyNews and fraudulently lie that former AG Godfred Dame shredded a memo and promise to make the memo public, only to later admit the memo never existed and that, it’s in softcopy form. And to date—not one shred of that memo has been published or authenticated. So, what credibility do you hold as Justice Srem Sai?
8) Justice Srem Sai must pause for a moment and remember his past. Yesterday, you were a lecturer at GIMPA, waxing lyrical about constitutionalism, human rights, and the rule of law to students and society. Today, you’re seated as Deputy Attorney-General, wielding state power with a dangerous appetite for political persecution.
9) But tomorrow? Tomorrow is unknown. Tomorrow, the tables turn. Tomorrow, when there’s a change in government, and you are made to sleep in EOCO cells for 10 days without charge under the same twisted logic you are defending today—you will finally understand the cruelty of power misused.
10) Raymond Archer the EOCO boss should be careful with how he uses the power vested in as an executive leader of EOCO. Governments rise, and governments fall. Justice, when perverted today, becomes the tormentor of its former enforcers tomorrow. No position is permanent, and when the wheel turns—as it always does—you may find yourself pleading for the same rights you now help to violate.
11) If any of you believe your role today makes you untouchable, think again. Ghana has a long memory. And when your day comes—and it surely will—the same arrogance with which you trample on people’s rights will be recorded, remembered, and replayed.
12) Bernad Antwi Boasioko [Chairman Wontumi] has survived persecution before. In 2013, same government burnt his equipment, destroyed his investments, and dragged him through hell. He prevailed then. And I have no absolute doubt that, he will prevail again. But, how long will we continue this cruelness as a democratic country?
13) The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice– Martin Luther King Jr. Tomorrow is pregnant!
