Mustapha Gbande, Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative is effectively ongoing.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, May 12, he said he has confidence that the ORAL-related cases currently before the courts are being handled within proper legal procedures.
“I have the assurance that it’s being worked on,” he said.
Gbande noted that even in the pursuit of accountability, the justice system must still operate within established legal frameworks, especially as prosecution thresholds have reportedly been adjusted in some instances.
“No, you will not see because you and I know that even as of recently, when you go to the courts, the threshold of prosecution have been increased… So there is a need for protecting… But I do know that whoever is presumed to be guilty must be given the opportunity to have the liberty to face a legal process that is founded within the spectrum of the rule of law. We have not overhyped,” he stated.
He stressed that no matter the level of evidence or public pressure, law enforcement must not bypass legal procedures.
“If the law was existing that anybody who has been caught to have stolen should be executed, I’m sure it would have been done by now. If the law was such that if I have evidence that Umaru has stolen money, I should seize your house and seize your court, it would have finished by now because we have the will to do it. But you cannot override the laws in doing so. You have to respect the laws. And that is being done,” he said.
Gbande further argued that adherence to the rule of law distinguishes the current administration’s approach to accountability.
“Under certain regimes, it may have been done in a different way with complete disregard to the rule of law. But President Mahama says he’s an epitome of a rule of law. He wants to see that whereas we want the right things done, it must be seen being done well,” he added.
His comments come as multiple ORAL-related cases involving corruption, illegal mining and cybercrime allegations continue to be heard in various courts across the country.
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