Gov’t cannot manipulate Judiciary to fast-track ORAL convictions — Kwakye Ofosu
The Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has pushed back against critics who are questioning the slow pace of prosecutions under Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), emphasizing that the government does not interfere with the judiciary to speed up convictions.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Kwakye Ofosu acknowledged that although concerns have been raised about “perceived slow progress” in fulfilling the government’s anti-corruption promise, the current administration will not engage in activities it once accused the NPP of doing while in opposition, such as interfering in the works of the judiciary.
“When the case goes to court, none of the critics can determine how the judge conducts the case,” the Minister stated. “It is imperative that we check ourselves, when we were in opposition, we used to accuse the NPP of manipulating the judiciary. We used to say that the NPP did not allow for an independent judiciary.”
Kwakye Ofosu emphasized that the government can only build strong cases against individuals who may have committed crimes against the state, but the ultimate outcomes of those cases depend entirely on the courts.
“What government can do is to build a case, gather sufficient evidence, and then go to court to convince the court that this individual or that individual has committed this crime, for which reason this punishment ought to be meted out. And where we find any assets involved, we retrieve it for the benefit of the stat,” he added.
The Minister further pointed out that ORAL is working, adding that in just a year after Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine was sworn into office, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has processed 27 dockets, with 40 other cases still under investigation.
He revealed that the state has arrested over 140 people and seized assets worth GH¢1.5 billion, with a number of those suspects already standing trial.
His comments follow several concerns raised by some members of the current government, members of the ORAL Committee, and civil society organizations who had expected more “recoveries and convictions at this stage.”
“You have to define what you actually mean by ‘government is not moving fast enough,’ the Attorney-General was sworn into office some time in February last year, and within a year he has been able to supervise all these cases,” he said. “It is not the submission of the individuals saying this, I would imagine, that we should manipulate the Judiciary to achieve certain political goals, that government cannot do,” he maintained.
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