Mr Jinapor explained that in cases of alleged defamation, aggrieved persons should seek redress in court through civil action rather than resorting to criminal prosecution. “As I grant you this interview, if I say something very horrible about a member of the government, or even about the President, and I injure his reputation, what should happen is that I am condemned by right-thinking Ghanaians, and if the person feels defamed, the appropriate action is to go to court,” he said. He criticised situations where individuals were arrested, detained or subjected to what he described as punitive bail conditions over comments made against political leaders. “I’m not to be dragged by the criminal justice system and thrown into jail, and given onerous bail conditions, with bail used as punishment,” he said. Mr Jinapor urged political leaders and state institutions to discourage practices that undermined democratic freedoms, warning that political power was transient. He said governments must avoid creating a cycle where incoming administrations would target members of previous governments or opposition figures. “It is important that in a democracy, the rule of law prevails, people’s rights are respected, and we do not have this circus where, after a change of government, members of the previous administration or the opposition are harassed,” he stated. Ghana’s democratic progress Mr Jinapor further said Ghana had made significant democratic progress over the years and must not allow partisan interests to erode those gains.