Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim has hit back at criticisms aimed at President John Mahama over the discontinuation of certain prosecutions.
She argued that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had a full eight years in power to secure convictions but failed.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, February 11, she questioned why the blame is now being shifted to Mahama’s administration when the NPP had all the time and legal backing to pursue these cases.
“Eight good years the New Patriotic Party had to prosecute some of these cases. Eight good years that they had a very favourable representation in our courts,” she stressed.
“Excuse me to say, but we all know the perceptions around the packing of the court by former President Nana Akufo-Addo, and sometimes some of what people describe as procured outcomes from our courts.”
According to Shamima, if the NPP truly had strong cases against political opponents they accused of corruption, they would have secured convictions long ago.
“If they had any case at all against these political opponents that were facing persecution through the instrument of our law courts, they would have secured prosecutions and judgments, just as they did in previous tenures and jailed those individuals.”
She reaffirmed that President Mahama is not interested in covering up wrongdoing within his administration but in ensuring justice is pursued fairly and efficiently.
“We should have confidence that he is not going to cover up any member of his administration. He has announced that even as we are going to start operationalising ORAL findings under the legal mandate of Ghana’s Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, we will also bring on stream Operation Prevent All Loots (OPAL).”
Shamima underscored Mahama’s firm stance against corruption, pointing out that he is the only president in recent history to openly declare in his manifesto that no government official will be allowed to engage in state capture or illegal acquisition of state assets.
“He has put it in black and white. He is committed to doing it because there’s got to be an end to lamentations,” she stated.
“We cannot continue to lament over the things that are eroding our democratic gains and show no commitment in terms of leadership.”
She also touched on the controversial issue of state property acquisitions by political figures, describing the practice as unethical and morally indefensible.
“How on earth can we, with any conscience, purchase property that we know on the open market values more than, sometimes ten times the value for which we use our political positions to take those same assets? Nobody can justify that,” she argued.
Addressing concerns over the discontinued cases, she urged patience as the Attorney General is expected to provide a detailed explanation in the coming days.
“In the coming days, the Attorney General will disclose comprehensively the reasons and grounds on which those cases that have been discontinued have been discontinued,” she assured.
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