The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, has strongly defended the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, insisting that the anti-corruption programme remains active, effective and firmly on course despite mounting criticism from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Dr Ayine made the remarks while responding to comments by the NPP’s National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, who warned that the opposition party could take drastic actions capable of destabilising governance if what he described as the continued harassment and intimidation of NPP members was not brought to an end.

Mr Mustapha made the comments on Tuesday, May 19, during a courtesy visit by officials of the NPP to the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, where the party sought to raise concerns over recent political developments and what it claims are politically motivated actions against some of its members.

According to the NPP youth organiser, the opposition would not remain passive while its members were allegedly being targeted by state institutions and security agencies.

However, speaking to journalists afterwards, Dr Ayine dismissed suggestions that the government was intimidated by such threats and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to democratic governance and the protection of civil liberties.

“As for the threat of arming themselves and making the country ungovernable, I think I will treat it with the contempt it deserves,” he said.

“But as far as this government is concerned, I want to reiterate that we will respect the rights and freedoms of every Ghanaian,” the Attorney-General added.

The Attorney-General’s strongest defence, however, centred on the ORAL initiative, which has become one of the defining anti-corruption policies of the administration of President John Dramani Mahama.

Dr Ayine rejected accusations that the government’s recent legal actions and prosecutions were intended to distract the public from what critics describe as the failure of ORAL.

“You know, it’s very interesting when statements like that are being made that we are doing this because ORAL is failing. ORAL is not failing,” he declared.

The Attorney-General argued that his office had achieved unprecedented results in corruption-related prosecutions within a single year.

“Go back and check the record. I am the first Attorney-General in the history of the Fourth Republic to have brought five corruption cases in one year. Go back and check the records,” he stated.

According to Dr Ayine, the ongoing court proceedings involving former public officials and politically exposed persons were creating anxiety within sections of the opposition because of the strength of the evidence assembled by prosecutors.

“What is happening in court now is rather putting pressure on them because they know that I have been so diligent in my investigations. I have been so diligent in the prosecutions that they are afraid that their people will go down for the acts of corruption that they are engaging in,” he said.

He further dismissed claims that the government was shifting attention away from the ORAL initiative.

“And so, the accusation that we are shifting focus away from ORAL is not something that I will pay heed to because ORAL is on track and ORAL is going to succeed,” Dr Ayine stressed.