A member of the legal team of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has called on the public to take a fair and balanced view of the issues surrounding his client and to avoid making prejudicial statements.
Speaking on Prime Insight on Joy Prime on Saturday, January 10, Frank Davies said that the former Finance Minister remains innocent in the eyes of the law and has not been convicted of any offence.
“Why is Ken being condemned when the matter itself has not unfolded?” he asked.
“He’s just a suspect or an accused person. His guilt has not been proven.”
Mr Davies cautioned against rushing to conclusions, reminding the public that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.
“He has been charged with certain offences, alright, but the onus is on the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Let us not jump ahead of ourselves.”
He said that Mr Ofori-Atta has not been tried or convicted and should therefore not be treated as guilty.
“He is not a convict. He has not been tried. So don’t let us jump the gun and be making all kinds of prejudicial statements.”
Addressing questions about how Mr Ofori-Atta’s current situation affects the extradition process earlier initiated by the Attorney-General, Mr Davies clarified that the two matters are separate.
“The extradition proceeding is separate and distinct from this,” he explained.
According to him, the current issue being handled in the United States is purely administrative and related to immigration, not extradition.
“This is a purely immigration matter. It’s an administrative process for an adjustment of his immigration status in the United States. It’s got absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the extradition procedure. So we take one at a time,” he said.
Mr Davies urged the public to allow each legal process to take its course without confusion or speculation.
He concluded by appealing for calm and fairness as the legal processes unfold, stressing the importance of respecting due process and the rule of law.
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