Stop Playing To The Gallery – Godfred Dame Hits Tsikata Over ‘Disclosures’

Attorney-General Godfred Dame has in recent times clashed with veteran lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata in the criminal case involving James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament for Assin North.

In the latest encounter on Wednesday, July 19, 2023; the counsel for Quayson was forced to open their defence and cross examine the state’s first prosecution witness, one Richard Takyi-Mensah.

In the course of the examintaion, Tsikata posed questions that suggested that the witness had supplied documents in his petition to the police, which documents had not been availed to the defense team.

Mr Tsatsu Tsikata at this point indicated to the court that it is the position of the defence team that the state had not fully disclosed to the defence team all documents they ought to disclose because the said supporting documents that the witness says he attached to his police statement are not known to defence lawyers and the accused person, the pro-government Asaase Radio said in a report.

Reacting to that, Attorney General Godfred Dame hit back at Tsikata, accusing him of playing to the gallery and intimidating the witness with his line of questioning; a trait that was not cool for a veteran lawyer of his stature.

Dame, thus, opposed an application by Tsikata for full disclosure of documents available to prosecution explaining to the court that all those conditions had been met and letters written to that effect.

The AG stressed that the claims of the defence lawyer, Tsatsu Tsikata, amounts to playing to the gallery and he ought to stop that and concentrate on asking questions that are relevant to the charges that have been preferred against his client by the state, the Asaase report added.

The judge subsequently ruled in favour of the prosecution stating that there was evidence that all documents had been duly supplied.

The court after its intervention, initially adjourned sitting to Tuesday 25 July 2023.

However, Mr Tsikata said his client’s case at the Supreme Court seeking judicial review of an earlier decision of the trial court, will come up for hearing on the same.

The court decided to adjourn to Wednesday 26 July 2023 for further cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.