"It's as if judges are in an ambulance, moving to jail people" - Atta Akyea

Samuel Atta Akyea, a former Abuakwa South Member of Parliament and lawyer, cautioned on Newsfile on JoyNews that courts should never be seen to pursue convictions simply to demonstrate political significance. His comments followed the conviction and 20-year prison sentence of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, for illegal mining-related offences. Atta Akyea stated, "A court of competent jurisdiction wouldn't want to care about the fact that, 'How many people can we jail so they will say that we are politically consequential?' No, that's not justice delivery."

He argued that the justice system must focus on the fair application of the law and resist any perception that criminal prosecutions are pursued to satisfy political expectations or enhance the image of those in power. Atta Akyea also expressed concern about the speed with which politically sensitive criminal cases are handled compared to civil matters, stating that the same energies judges use for criminal cases are not applied to civil cases, which "does not augur well for the justice delivery system."