Former Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has criticized President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to form the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee, describing it as a dangerous precedent for the country.
According to a report by myjoyonline.com, he made these remarks during a recent interview on Nhyira FM.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further questioned the legitimacy of the committee, arguing that Mahama lacked the mandate to establish it at the time.
“It is important they start right so they can end well. He’s not done too badly but there are a few things that need to be discussed. An example is the ORAL. The ORAL is a dangerous precedent he set for the country.
“To do a proper assessment of every government, you have to wait for the first 100 days. It’s too early to rate Mahama but I have my reservations about a few things,” he added.
He noted that ORAL was set up before Mahama’s swearing-in, meaning he did not yet have executive authority.
“The Operation Recover All Loot was set up even when he wasn’t President yet. He was the President-elect and hadn’t been sworn in. So executive authority was not in his hands. He didn’t have that power to establish the ORAL team,” he stated.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu argued that looting is a criminal offense that can only be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
“To loot means a person has stolen something which isn’t theirs. So looting is a criminal offense. And before we establish someone has looted something, a court of competent jurisdiction needs to determine whether you have looted,” he emphasized.
The former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs stated that accusing individuals of looting without legal determination amounts to defamation and raises concerns about property rights.
“The constitution guarantees the right to own property individually or as a collective. If you can’t establish that an individual has not created their own wealth but rather looted, then it is a serious accusation,” he added.
While acknowledging that Mahama has made some progress, he maintained that the president’s administration should be properly assessed after 100 days in office.
The five-member ORAL committee established on December 18, 2024, was tasked with identifying and retrieving looted state assets.
JKB/KA
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