Former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo and now a member of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee has called on critics who believe the committee is unconstitutional to seek address from the court.
“Let me be very clear. We are working and being told we are operating illegally. The courts are not closed. They are still there. So, if anyone thinks we are unlawful, they should go to court.
“Let the court tell us, ‘Oh, guys, you cannot even collect information when people bring it to you.’ If that happens, we will shut down and go” Domelevo said.
Speaking on Joynews on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, he argued that the committee is lawful and focusing on collecting data to assist the executive.
He further explained that they are not overstepping their boundaries and that it is out of fear that the committee is being attacked.
“We are not even inviting anybody. The publication went out from the office of the then president-elect, saying that if you have information, bring it to us via the provided hotlines, website, or email. That’s all we are using. The issue of inviting anyone does not even arise.”
“The best form of defence is an attack. Anybody who thinks this may lead to them being exposed will definitely attack,” he noted.
He suggested that those criticising the work of the committee are being hypocritical and unpatriotic as similar things has been done under the Nana Addo led government.
“In September 2017, the senior minister Yaw Osafo Marfo announced that foreign firms had been engaged to collect data, investigate, and even help with prosecution. Back then, it was fine. But now, a simple team collecting data is a problem. That is the hypocrisy we have in this country.”
“Until something is prohibited by law, it’s lawful. Otherwise, one day you will say, ‘Daniel, you are being unlawful by wearing a smock into the studio,’” he remarked, underscoring the importance of clarity in legal matters.
“We collect data and hand it over to the president. The president may then decide to refer it to the appropriate body—be it EOCO, the police, or the Office of the Special Prosecutor. That’s all we do,” Domelevo reiterated.
