Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim has pushed back against criticisms directed at President John Mahama over the discontinuation of certain prosecutions, arguing that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had ample time to secure convictions but failed.

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According to her, the opposition party, which governed for eight years, had every opportunity to prosecute cases but could not do so despite having a “favourable” representation in the courts.

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Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, February 10, she questioned why blame is being laid at the doorstep of Mahama’s administration when the NPP had full legal backing to pursue these cases but did not deliver results.

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“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.

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She also suggested that concerns over judicial appointments under the previous government may have played a role in public perceptions about court outcomes.

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“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 court.”

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Shamima further challenged the NPP to prove that the cases they initiated had merit, emphasizing that genuine cases of corruption would have resulted in convictions long ago.

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“If they had any case at all against these political opponents that were facing persecution through the instrument of our law court, they would have secured prosecutions and judgments, just as they did in previous tenures and jailed those individuals.”

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She assured the public that President Mahama remains committed to upholding justice and would not shield any member of his administration from accountability.

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“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).”

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She also underscored Mahama’s firm stance against corruption, noting that he is the only president in recent years to explicitly commit in his manifesto to preventing state capture and the illegal acquisition of public assets by government officials.

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“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.

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“We cannot continue to lament over the things that are eroding our democratic gains and show no commitment in terms of leadership.”

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Touching on the controversial practice of political figures acquiring state property under questionable circumstances, Shamima described it as unethical and indefensible.

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“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.

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She urged patience regarding the discontinuation of certain cases, assuring that the Attorney General would soon provide detailed explanations.

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“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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