Private legal practitioner Kofi Bekai has advised President John Dramani Mahama to turn the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee into a presidential Commission of Inquiry if it is not a political tool aimed at scoring political points.
The lawyer argued that the major reason why people are attacking the ORAL Committee is because it has no relevance to any law in Ghana.
He pointed out that at the time the committee was formed, President John Dramani Mahama had not even been sworn in as the president of the Republic.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he stated that “the establishment of the ORAL Committee comes with its own challenges. At the point of its establishment, President Mahama had not taken office. Every committee, whether a ministerial committee or a presidential commission, has the authority to investigate any issue. But the question to ask is, under what capacity did President Mahama establish the committee?
This is a manifesto promise and agenda of the NDC, and people are racking it because it has no relevance with any laws in Ghana. What I will advise them is not to open themselves up to being sued.”
The lawyer told the news team that the committee can be sued individually should anyone accuse them of unfair treatment or defamation because they are not a commission with any legal backing.
He has therefore advised the president to transform it into a commission of inquiry to give it a legal backing.
“It is imperative that their actions are grounded in law; otherwise, they will be individually liable for any legal repercussions. The Committee must exercise caution to avoid potential lawsuits, as they would be personally liable in such cases. The optimal approach would be to provide a legal basis for their actions and dissociate them from the NDC manifesto. They can establish a legal foundation for their activities. Now that he (Mahama) is the President, he has the authority to establish a Presidential Commission, if he so desires. They should refrain from utilizing it as a political tool to compromise the integrity of individuals.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
