Constitutional Lawyer, Lawyer Kwame Adofo, has cast doubt on the legal viability of efforts to extradite a Russian national over alleged sexual misconduct, questioning the basis of the case and Ghana’s ability to prosecute it.
Speaking on ABC in the Morning, Lawyer Adofo said he finds it difficult to see how the matter can proceed in court without a clear complainant.
“I cannot see how this case can get anywhere because I haven’t seen any complainant,” he stated. “In the sense that I haven’t seen any of the women complaining anywhere. If this matter was triable, who will be the complainant?”
The constitutional lawyer further indicated that he had reviewed a circulating video allegedly linked to the case but did not find explicit content that would support criminal charges.
“I have also looked at the video; I do not see the explicit videos of the women at all. It will be difficult to prove this allegation against this gentleman,” he said.
According to Lawyer Adofo, the absence of formal complaints from any of the women involved significantly weakens the prosecution’s case. He argued that where two adults engage in consensual conduct, establishing criminal liability becomes challenging unless other legal violations can be clearly demonstrated.
“Two consenting adults misbehaving themselves, I mean it will be difficult,” he remarked. “If either of them were under age, then they could not consent, then you could make a case for the child, but these are all adults.”
He also raised concerns about the legal and diplomatic framework surrounding any potential extradition process. Lawyer Adofo pointed out that Ghana does not have a known extradition treaty with Russia, making it unclear how authorities would secure the suspect’s return to face prosecution.
“Again, we don’t have any extradition treaty with Russia, so how are you going to get the gentleman back to Ghana, and what is the crime that he is supposed to have committed?” he queried.
His comments come amid ongoing public debate over the alleged Russian’s non-consensual recording and monetization of intimate encounters with some Ghanaian women and calls from some quarters for the suspect to be extradited to Ghana to face justice.
Lawyer Adofo maintained that without a clearly defined offence, a complainant, and the appropriate international legal framework, pursuing extradition and prosecution would be legally difficult.
