Attorney General Drops Charges Against Former Finance Minister Duffuor and Co-Defendants Following ‘Revoery’ of Losses

The Attorney General has announced the discontinuation of prosecution against former Finance Minister Kwabena Duffour and other defendants on trial for causing financial loss to the state.

In a statement released on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, signed by the Deputy Attorney General, Justice Srem-Sai, the state announced that the defendants had returned at least 60% of the funds they were accused of misappropriating.

The statement said the threshold had been established as an acceptable benchmark to drop cases against defendants.

“The Honourable Attorney-General has, today, entered a nolle prosequi in the case of The Republic v. Kwabena Duffour & 7 Others,” the statement read. “While the exercise of this prosecutorial discretion requires no explanation under law, the Attorney-General, in the spirit of accountability and transparency, considers it appropriate to provide the public with the rationale behind this decision.”

The statement went on to add that the rationale mostly lay in the recovery of more than half of funds. It said that with the retrieval of the monies, continuing the prosecution serves little public purpose.

“Following prolonged negotiations and engagements, the accused persons in The Republic v. Kwabena Duffour & 7 Others case have met this recovery threshold. Accordingly, in furtherance of public interest, and considering the significant recoveries made for the State, the Honourable Attorney-General has satisfied himself that continuing with the prosecution will not serve any additional public purpose,” it said.

The statement added that the nolle prosequi in no way absolves the defendants of guilt or wrongdoing.

Dr Duffour and others were placed on trial following the banking sector clean-up carried out by the previous NPP government in 2018.

Analysis of the Attorney General discontinuing prosecution of Kwabena Duffour

This decision, no matter what anyone says, has political underpinnings that cannot be ignored.

If the NPP had retained power, they likely would have continued this prosecution to the bitter end.

However, one thing that cannot be ignored is that the Attorney General has now set a public standard; hence, it would be interesting to monitor if it would be adhered to in other cases of financial loss to the state.

If the standard remains consistent throughout, then no harm, no foul. However, if other defendants are treated differently from Dr Duffour and his co-defendants, then the accusations of political bias can no longer be ignored.