By Von Cofie
The Minority in Parliament is urging former officials in the Akufo-Addo administration to boycott the anti-corruption team, Operation Recover All the Loot’s (ORAL) invitations, describing the committee as needless.
Addressing a press conference on behalf of his New Patriotic Party (NPP) colleagues in the House, Member of Parliament for Suame, John Darko said the team was carrying out responsibilities that had been legally assigned other bodies.
“No serious country will entertain anything such as this. And so if you are a former government official and you are invited by this so-called ORAL, our advice to you is to boycott any invitation from the ORAL team,” he emphasized.
He said there were constitutional bodies including the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Police and Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) that were charged to do the work of the team.
Mr. Darko was of the view that ORAL’s mandate could put these institutions “out of business”.
He expressed disappointment in Attorney General designate, Dr. Dominic Ayine for his support of ORAL. Appearing before the Appointment Committee in Parliament on Monday, the astute lawyer had said the establishment ORAL was not against the law.
“What they are doing is going about, disturbing people, entering homes, taking vehicles, and more or less taking over lands from people who have genuinely purchased them.
“The people of Ghana should not tolerate this ORAL which is out there to persecute former government officials,” the Suame Member of Parliament said at a press conference.
ORAL, was a campaign pledge by President-elect John Dramani Mahama to recover assets and funds misappropriated by officials in the Akufo-Addo administration.
Upon his election last year, he constituted a five-member committee to kickstart the ORAL process.
The members announced in December were Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a former Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo; a retired Commissioner of Police, COP (Rtd.) Nathaniel Kofi Boakye; legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu and Raymond Archer who is an investigative journalist.
So far, the team has been making rounds within the capital assessing lands alleged to have been encroached by private developers.
