Gov’t will not shield officials who break the law –Legal Affairs Committee vice chair

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The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, James Enu, has defended President John Mahama’s assertion that no one is above the law, insisting that the government will not protect any public official found to have breached the law.His comments come amid criticism from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), which argues that ongoing investigations by state agencies appear to target only former government officials while overlooking allegations involving serving appointees of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on Friday, July 17, Mr Enu said the President’s remarks should reassure Ghanaians that due process would be followed irrespective of a person’s position in government.“I believe that that is the way to go. This is a government that has demonstrated that it’s not going to shield anybody. “So if any member of the government in power is found on the wrong side of the law, I believe that the necessary legal processes are going to be triggered, due process will be followed, and the person will be dealt with,” he said.According to the legislator, President Mahama’s message was that anyone found to have violated the law would be subjected to the appropriate legal processes.“That’s exactly the assurance the President is giving to the good people of Ghana,” he added.Mr Enu also dismissed suggestions that the pace of investigations indicates selective justice, explaining that corruption and other criminal investigations often begin long before they become public.He noted that investigators typically spend considerable time gathering intelligence and evidence before inviting suspects for questioning or making arrests.“Like he rightly said, a lot of these investigations start way back underground by way of gathering intelligence and therefore sometimes it’s not just as if once they get the information they go right out to arrest,” he said.“A lot of processes transpire before they finally take steps, probably to cause arrest or invite the person for further interrogation and all that. So a lot of backroom work is done prior to some steps being taken for the public to see.”Mr Enu maintained that the government’s actions are guided by due process and expressed confidence that anyone found culpable, regardless of political affiliation or office, would face the full rigours of the law.