The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused President John Mahama’s administration of weaponising state institutions to persecute political opponents, warning that Ghana faces a return to authoritarian governance.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong alleged that party members have been subjected to unlawful detention, unreasonable bail conditions, and denial of fair judicial treatment. He claimed state security agencies continue to violate the Constitution, particularly Article 14 on bail rights for arrested persons.
“Under this John Mahama administration, such persons are rather presumed guilty until they prove their innocence,” Kodua stated, describing what the party views as a systematic erosion of democratic safeguards.
The NPP cited recent arrests as evidence of targeted persecution. Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, has been arrested multiple times in 2025 over allegations including illegal mining operations and money laundering. He faces 13 charges across two cases, including facilitating unlicensed mining and entering forest reserves without authorization. After his initial arrest in May, he was granted bail with two sureties. He was rearrested in October and granted bail totaling 25 million cedis across both cases, with stringent conditions including surrender of his passport and monthly reporting requirements.
Kwabena Adu Boahen, former Director General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), was arrested in March 2025 at Kotoka International Airport upon arrival from London. The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) detained him over allegations of embezzlement, money laundering, and misappropriating approximately 49 million cedis from state funds. Attorney General Dominic Ayine publicly warned financial institutions against facilitating any movement of Adu Boahen’s assets. The former NSB chief was rearrested in May on additional charges related to alleged fraudulent schemes involving payments from Ghana Water Company Limited.
Osei Assibey Antwi, former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), was picked up by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) in March 2025. He now faces 14 criminal counts including causing financial loss exceeding 600 million cedis, stealing, and money laundering. Prosecutors allege he authorized payments to more than 60,000 non-existent national service personnel between August 2021 and February 2025. In October, the Attorney General announced a forensic audit revealed the total scandal had grown from 548 million cedis to 2.2 billion cedis. Assibey Antwi was granted bail of 800 million cedis with six sureties but remained in custody as of early November, unable to meet the conditions.
Kodua also criticized what he termed judicial complicity, referencing the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Torkonoo. President Mahama removed Justice Torkonoo from office on 1 September 2025 following a constitutional inquiry that found grounds of stated misbehavior. The committee established under Article 146 investigated a petition by Daniel Ofori and recommended her removal based on findings that she authorized unlawful expenditures, including covering travel expenses and per diems for her spouse and daughter through the judicial service. Justice Torkonoo was suspended in April 2025 pending the investigation.
“Judges now fear to dispense justice according to the law because they worry they may suffer the same fate as Justice Torkonoo,” Kodua alleged, claiming the removal has compromised judicial independence.
The NPP further accused Attorney General Dominic Ayine of abuse of prosecutorial discretion, claiming he entered nolle prosequi in multiple corruption cases involving National Democratic Congress (NDC) allies. Ayine has indeed discontinued several high-profile prosecutions initiated by the previous administration. In July 2025, he entered nolle prosequi in the case against former Finance Minister Kwabena Duffuor and seven others accused in the collapse of uniBank, after negotiations resulted in agreement to recover 60 percent of alleged losses. The Attorney General also discontinued prosecutions in the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project case and the SSNIT Operational Business Suites project case, among others. Johnson Asiamah, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana who faced charges related to the banking sector collapse, had his case withdrawn in January 2025, enabling his subsequent appointment as Bank of Ghana Governor.
“Never in the history of this country have we seen such blatant abuse of prosecutorial discretion,” Kodua stated. Legal experts and opposition figures have criticized the Attorney General’s approach, with some arguing it prioritizes financial recovery over criminal accountability and may normalize corruption.
The NPP described the situation as a dangerous erosion of democratic gains, pointing to alleged harassment of journalists and social media users critical of government. “We are witnessing a gradual return of the culture of silence and the era of criminal libel despite its repeal,” the party statement read.
Kodua reaffirmed the NPP’s commitment to defending the rule of law, stating the party would not back down in confronting what it characterizes as growing authoritarianism.
The accusations come amid broader political tensions, with the NPP also criticizing the administration’s handling of illegal mining, known locally as galamsey. At the same press conference, Kodua claimed some NDC Members of Parliament and party officials are involved in illegal mining operations, hampering enforcement efforts.
The government has not issued an official response to the NPP’s allegations regarding weaponization of state institutions. The Attorney General’s office has previously defended its decisions to enter nolle prosequi as pragmatic steps to recover public funds where protracted legal proceedings showed no immediate prospect of resolution.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
