Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, has clarified that the GHS10 trillion President Akufo-Addo announced as the amount saved by his government in judgement debts is inaccurate.
In an interview on JoyNews on February 29, 2024, Godfred Dame took responsibility for the misrepresentation of the figures, revealing that the actual amount saved by the Akufo-Addo government is GHS14 trillion.
Dame explained that he deliberately provided undervalued figures of the judgement debts saved to avoid causing unnecessary surprise or shock to the public.
“The savings that the president announced were actually an underestimation. The president grossly underestimated. It indeed was actually my office (sic), because every minister has the responsibility of bringing to the president’s attention the work that the minister has done,” he stated.
He further elaborated, “And in presenting my report, I deliberately understated the account, just not to raise unnecessary eyebrows… But if you go through, 10 trillion is just arising in a single case. If you go through, the savings are actually over 14 trillion.”
During his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Tuesday, February 29, 2024, President Akufo-Addo had commended Godfred Dame for his efforts in preventing the state from being burdened with unnecessary bad debts. The president attributed savings of over GH¢10 trillion to the Attorney General’s work.
“The Attorney General has continued in a very effective manner the tradition under this administration of contesting every single litigation against the state and has avoided the numerous judgment debts that used to be given against the State,” Akufo-Addo stated.
The correction by the Attorney General highlights the importance of accurate reporting and transparency in government matters. It also emphasizes the significant role of the Attorney General’s office in safeguarding the country’s finances and interests.