Sole Commissioner accuses AG’s dep't of “cooking cases”

The Commission on Judgment Debt has expressed disappointment at the Attorney General’s Department for putting up a weak defence in a case relating to the payment of compensation on a land belonging to the Second Infantry Brigade in Kumasi.

Sole Commissioner Justice Yaw Apau said the Attorney General’s Department in the Ashanti Region failed to provide a strong defence 0n behalf of the state and thus led the nation to pay a judgment debt to the tune of GH¢11,000,000.00 to the plaintiffs.

This took place when the Chief State Attorney in the region, William Kpobi appeared before the Commission during a sitting on Tuesday in Accra.

According to Mr. Justice Apau, government paid GH¢11,000,000.00 as compensation to Nana Kwaku Duah Appianin III and two others in a case against the Ministry of Defence and Attorney General’s Department in 2009.

The Commissioner said records available indicated that the Attorney General’s Department, which was supposed to defend the interest of the state, rather strengthened the plaintiff’s case by asking the Lands Commission officer in Kumasi to evaluate the land for the plaintiff.

He noted that even though the Attorney General’s Department was aware that there were other claimants to the disputed land, it failed to put up a defence for the state. The Attorney General’s Department also failed to inform the Ministry of Defence, which was a defendant in the case.

“It is obvious that it was a fictitious and the money paid was shared,” he said.

Mr. Kpobi, however, denied that the Attorney General’s Department provided a week defence for the defendants in order to benefit financially from the case.

He said the Department did its best to defend the case, but judgment was passed in favour of the plaintiff.

Mr. Kpobi, however, admitted that some errors were committed with regard to the manner in which the case was handled.