Senior lawyer and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has raised concerns about what he describes as possible selective justice under the current government, arguing that the administration’s handling of prosecutions could give credence to claims of political bias.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, August 8, Mr Bentil said those accusing the government of selective justice had sufficient grounds to make their case, while acknowledging that those who disagreed could also present arguments in defence of the government.

However, he said the government’s record over its four-year mandate would ultimately provide the strongest evidence.

“This government, and by extension, this party, the NDC, will be judged after four years,” he said.

According to Mr Bentil, two years into the administration, there were already grounds to argue that the government had been more aggressive in prosecuting people associated with the opposition while appearing more inclined to free or protect people within its own ranks.

“To that extent, therefore, you can claim there is selective justice,” he said.

Democracy under threat?

Mr Bentil also raised concerns about the state of Ghana’s democracy, cautioning against waiting until democratic institutions and freedoms had been significantly weakened before taking action.

“For me, I’m not waiting for all of our democracy to be removed from under our feet, for us to fall down before we rise up,” he said.

He stressed the need for citizens to remain vigilant and work to protect and expand the democratic space.

His comments come amid concerns raised at a recent 'Democracy under attack demonstration' by the NPP over alleged selective justice and what some protesters described as threats to Ghana’s democratic governance.

Mr Bentil said one of the key messages of the demonstration was the need to draw attention to concerns that democracy could be under threat.

He argued that if any government or president attempted to undermine democratic principles, citizens had a responsibility to resist and demand accountability.

Mr Bentil also referred to calls for the fast-tracking of case involving former official of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including the case of Wontumi matter.

He said concerns had been raised that the cases were being accelerated with the ultimate objective of securing convictions and imprisonment.

He maintained that the government’s actions over the remainder of its four-year term would provide the basis for assessing whether the allegations of selective justice were justified.

Ultimately, he suggested, the strongest test would be whether similar standards of justice were applied to individuals on both sides of Ghana’s political divide.