NPP Accuses Government Of ‘Selective Justice’ and Unlawful Legal Education Reforms
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of undermining Ghana’s rule of law through what it describes as a pattern of selective justice and unlawful policy implementation.
In a press statement signed by Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, Member of Parliament for Asante Akim Central and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, the NPP alleged that since the NDC assumed office on January 7, 2025, state institutions have been weakened and increasingly used to target political opponents while shielding allies from accountability.
The statement pointed to what it described as “Rambo-style” arrests, dawn raids and stringent bail conditions imposed on opposition figures, journalists and commentators by state security agencies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), National Security and the Police.
According to the NPP, these developments have occurred alongside the termination of several high-profile corruption cases inherited from the previous administration. It argued that some prosecutions were discontinued after accused persons had been called to open their defence, resulting in acquittals under the law and preventing any future retrial on the same facts.
The party further cited the handling of cases such as the uniBank prosecution, which it said was converted into a negotiated settlement, and the Saglemi housing case, which it described as having stalled.
The NPP expressed particular concern over developments surrounding the conviction of the former Chief Executive of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu.
Describing the case as one of Ghana’s most significant corruption prosecutions, the party noted that the former MASLOC boss faced a 78-count charge, including stealing, conspiracy, causing financial loss to the state, money laundering and procurement breaches.
Following investigations by EOCO, the High Court found that nearly GH¢90 million had been lost to the state. The trial, which continued in absentia after she failed to return to Ghana from medical leave in the United States, resulted in her conviction on April 16, 2024, and a 10-year sentence with hard labour.
She was extradited to Ghana on June 9, 2026 — the first such extradition from the United States in 16 years — to begin serving her sentence.
The NPP, however, claimed there are emerging attempts to interfere with the outcome of the case and cautioned against any extra-judicial measures that could undermine the conviction.
“Every convicted person retains a lawful right of appeal, but any administrative, political or discretionary intervention to neutralise a final sentence outside the appellate process would set a dangerous precedent,” the statement said.
The party also criticised the implementation of the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), describing aspects of its rollout as unlawful.
It singled out the introduction of a mandatory one-year “Pre-Bar Course", which it said is not provided for under the Act. The directive, issued on June 12, 2026, by the director of the Ghana School of Law on behalf of the attorney-general, was described as “ultra vires” and an attempt to amend legislation through administrative action.
According to the NPP, the Act outlines only three stages of legal training: the LLB programme, law practice training and the National Bar Examination and does not include a pre-bar requirement.
The party further argued that the directive conflicts with the Act’s transitional provisions, creates uncertainty regarding fees and legal status due to the absence of accompanying regulations, and was issued in the name of a Council for Legal Education and Training that is yet to be constituted.
It also raised concerns about capacity constraints, noting that the measure merely redistributes a backlog of between 5,000 and 8,000 law graduates without addressing underlying institutional limitations.
The NPP is calling on the government to allow the sentence imposed on Sedina Tamakloe to stand without interference and to suspend the implementation of the Pre-Bar programme.
It further urged authorities to ensure that legal education reforms are grounded in law, including the establishment of the appropriate governing bodies and the passage of necessary regulations before enforcement.
“The Ghanaian people deserve assurance that hard-won convictions will not be undone by political expediency and that the law will protect all equally,” the statement concluded.
Click the link Puretvonline.com | WhatsApp Channel to join the WhatsApp channel
GOT A STORY?
Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or manuelnkansah33@gmail.com
