Charges Dropped Because Selormey Refunded Money

The Attorney-General's Department has explained that it decided to discontinue with one of the two cases involving Victor Selormey, former Deputy Minister of Finance, currently pending before an Accra Circuit Tribunal because he has refunded the money involved.

Selormey paid the outstanding balance of 7,000 (?49,598,500) into the Foreign Account at the Bank of Ghana on August 14, 2001 and was issued a receipt No. 92017757 c/o Kwaku Baah & Co. Bo 3961, Accra.

Miss Gloria Akuffo, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, told "The Evening News" in Accra on Thursday that the amount represents the difference relating to the purchase of the vehicle.

She said the actual cost of the vehicle was 38,000 dollars, but Selormey caused the transfer of the 45,000 dollars to Messrs LEXDEV International, USA.

Miss Akuffo said the withdrawal of the charge levelled against Selormey showed that the government was not interested in Hauling ex-Ministers of the previous administration to court.

She said another reason was that the government did not want to be petty and vindictive, hence it decided not to pursue that case, adding that even Selormey going ahead to pay the difference showed that he had admitted his guilty without being coerced into doing so.

Miss Akuffo stated that it would be unfortunate for people to think that the government did not investigate the case well before rushing to court.

"Every case being pursued by the government in court has been thoroughly investigated for concrete evidence to be established and so there is nothing like harassment and witch hunting" she said.

Asked why the Ministry of Justice and the A-G's Department did not give this explanation long ago, Miss Akuffo said it was professionally unethical to do so and that it was also meant to keep faith with the need to keep quiet on it.

"But now that the issue is in the public domain we have no alternative than to come out and explain the circumstances surrounding the latest turn of events" she stated.

She said the government wants to govern by the rule of law and that "it does not want to be petty and vindictive".

It is recalled that an Accra Circuit Tribunal chaired by Mr Ziblim Imoru, on Tuesday granted an application by the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Osafo Sampong, to withdraw the charge of causing loss by carelessness to public property against Mr Selormey.

He was alleged to have caused the transfer of 45,000 dollars to LEXDEV International for the purchase of a vehicle.