TSATSU TSIKATA -EX PRESIDENT KUFUOR

The relationship between renowned legal luminary Tsatsu Tsikata and former Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor has long been seen as strained, dating back to the latter's time in office. This perception largely stems from Tsikata's imprisonment under Kufuor's administration — a situation many regarded as a violation of his fundamental human rights. The matter resurfaced during a recent interview with Tsikata on GHOne TV.

When asked whether he had forgiven President Kufuor, Tsikata made it clear that, despite his reservations over Kufuor’s role in his incarceration, he harbours no bitterness towards him. He even noted that on several public occasions, he has extended courtesies to the former president.

“There is nothing to forgive,” Tsikata said. “I have never harboured bitterness or grievance against President Kufuor. He did atrocious things to me for his own reasons. He was determined to send me to prison — and I did go to prison. It was orchestrated by him on June 18, 2008. I spent five months there, but by God's grace, I survived. I was eventually evacuated to the hospital, and by God's grace, I’m still alive.”

Tsikata also addressed why he rejected the presidential pardon offered by Kufuor on his final day in office, describing it as an act of bad faith.

“On his last day, he offered me a pardon, but I rejected it because it was insincere. He orchestrated the entire process. Even on the day I was sentenced, the court hadn’t indicated it was ready to give a decision — the trial wasn't over. It was all set up for me to go to jail — and I went.”

However, Tsikata said his time in prison was not entirely in vain. The five months he spent at Nsawam Medium Security Prison offered him invaluable lessons about Ghana's criminal justice system.

“I thank God for that experience. I tell people that going to Nsawam was like enrolling in another faculty of law,” he shared. “I interacted with many inmates and witnessed firsthand the injustices they endured — people held on remand for over a decade without trial. Unlike me, most didn’t have the legal resources to defend themselves. Some had spent 12 years in prison without ever appearing in court.”

After eight years of legal battles, Tsikata’s conviction was unanimously overturned by the Court of Appeal, which acquitted and discharged him. Justice Dennis Adjei ruled that the Accra Fast Track High Court’s 2008 decision — which found him guilty of willfully causing financial loss of GH¢230,000 to the state and misapplying public property — amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

In a 2021 interview with KSM, Tsikata recounted his rejection of the presidential pardon: “From my hospital bed, I wrote him a letter saying I would not accept the pardon. By then, I had already filed an appeal against the decision. I wanted vindication, not pardon. A pardon leaves your conviction intact; I wanted it overturned.”

Expressing satisfaction with the court’s final ruling, Tsikata quoted Psalm 94:15: “Justice will again be found in the courts, and all righteous people will support it,” affirming that justice had indeed prevailed.