Former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has raised concerns over the legitimacy and authority of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) committee.
In an interview with TV3 on Friday, January 17, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu argued that the committee’s actions are inconsistent with Ghana’s constitutional framework and democratic principles.
“If you’re alleging looting, already you’ve established criminality against individuals. Is that what the Constitution provides? A person is deemed innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that Ghana is not under a coup regime and stressed the importance of adhering to due process. He criticized the committee’s approach, stating that it lacks the authority to accuse individuals of “looting” state resources without proper investigations or a fair trial.
“You’re shredding the image of the person, and yet you’ve not established through any due process, the fact that the person has engaged in any criminality,” he added.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu urged the government to uphold the rule of law and due process in recovering state assets, emphasizing that individuals have the right to own property.
“A person has a right to own his property. If you think that he used unorthodox means to acquire the property, let’s resort to due process and retrieve it for the state,” he said.