Former legal counsel to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Kow Essuman, has threatened to sue the government over unpaid salary arrears and end-of-service benefits after the Finance Ministry and the Attorney-General’s Office allegedly failed to respond to his demands.

Essuman said he had formally notified the Attorney-General of the outstanding payments and copied the Finance Ministry, but neither institution had acknowledged his correspondence.

Akufo-Addo's ex-lawyer cries over unpaid benefits

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews’ Gemma Appiah, he described the silence from the two offices as disappointing, particularly given his previous positions in the Presidency.

“So, have I sent a notice to the Attorney-General? Yes. I've sent a notice to the Attorney-General. And I copied the Finance Ministry. Of course, none of them responded,” he said.

His lawyers, Vint & Aletheia, had earlier written to Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, demanding payment of his outstanding salary arrears and terminal benefits by Friday, September 11, 2026, or face legal action.

The lawyers indicated that his entitlements included four months’ consolidated salary for every completed year of service, an installation grant equivalent to one month’s salary and a resettlement grant equivalent to one month’s salary for each year or fraction of a year served.

They described the continued withholding of the benefits as “arbitrary, discriminatory, unfair and unlawful”, arguing that other public officeholders had received their entitlements.

Essuman questioned why he had to repeatedly demand payments he believed were rightfully due to him.

“The attitude of the Finance Minister and the Attorney-General of not responding, not paying any heed to a former government official who has written regarding salary arrears and terminal benefits is something that we really as a country need to look at,” he said.

He added: “It's quite unfortunate. It shouldn't get to this. It shouldn't get to it. And I was not just a government official—I was legal counsel to the President and subsequently acting Secretary to the President. You know, that's not how this country should act. It shouldn't be me that should be writing to a Finance Minister to demand this. It's completely on principle and unfair,” he said.

Essuman said his lawyers had already prepared the writ and statement of claim but could not file the case because of the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) strike.

“We have prepared the writ; we have the statement of claim. But JUSAG went on strike. So we haven't been able to file,” he said.

Asked if he was prepared to proceed with the legal action, he responded: “Oh, we're ready. I'm ready because this is contractual. And you see, I hope that we can resolve it before then.”

He says he is ready to pursue the case following the end of the JUSAG strike.

NA/BAI