‘We’re working overnight, but we can’t publish everything’ – Deputy AG Srem Sai – Nsemkeka
Deputy Attorney General, Dr Justice Srem Sai, has responded to growing public frustration over delays in high-profile prosecutions.
He insists that the investigative and prosecutorial machinery is working at full speed behind the scenes, but not everything, he says, can or should be made public.
“We’re working overnight,” he told JoyNews’ Evans Mensah on PM Express Wednesday night. “But we can’t publish everything.”
His remarks come amid mounting pressure from civil society, political commentators and social media users calling for faster action and transparency in cases involving alleged corruption and abuse of office.
“Every day on social media, I receive hundreds of tags from friends and users complaining about why the process is not fast,” he said.
But he pushed back firmly: “It’s not that it’s slow. The public only gets to know when someone is arrested and there’s noise, or when the person is being taken to court.”
He explained that investigative work is not only constant but intensive.
“The ladies and gentlemen in the investigative agencies—police, NIB, EOCO, Special Prosecutor—all of them are working extremely hard,” he said. “You see how I don’t sleep. I don’t think they sleep either.
Because in the night, they’re working. They’re calling. They’re asking for directives. They’re applying for search warrants, freezing orders, arrest warrants—all going on at short notice.”
Justice Srem Sai described the internal pace as rapid, but emphasised that much of it is not visible to the public. “It’s moving so quickly,” he said.
“The only thing is that not everything can be put out there. Those we need to put out, we put out. But trust me—if you know what’s going on…”
He cited the example of a former minister of Education and Energy who is also a former running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
“If you know what’s going on in that case…” he said. “The work is ongoing.”
Pressed on whether the state was being strategic about public communication or simply shielding politically sensitive cases, he maintained that law enforcement does not function based on public sentiment.
“We act based on the law. Sometimes speed is not about noise. Sometimes the loudest work is the quietest work.”
He acknowledged that public impatience is valid but argued that the integrity of investigations must not be compromised by premature disclosures.
Despite his defence of the process, Dr. Srem Sai conceded that public confidence is critical.
He stopped short of naming specific cases being worked on behind the scenes but suggested that several could break soon. “By the time we get to court, the facts will speak,” he said.