Making mockery of the law

There was this interesting case of a police corporal who effected the arrest of a suspect. While going through the process of preparing the suspect for court, pressure was brought upon him from various quarters to drop the case. Despite pressures from friends and relatives of the suspect, including some powerful and influential members of society, the corporal remained adamant and preferred to stick to the principles and dictates of his profession. The following day, while on duty at the charge office, the corporal saw some men in flowing robes and suits requesting to see the district commander. Not quite long, the district commander invited him to his office and ordered him to come along with the case file on the suspect. Minutes later, the visitors came down the stairs and waved at him smiling. That was the end of the matter. In police parlance, they say docket closed, case die. The police corporal who was doing his work according to the demands of the law, did not only feel humiliated but seriously deflated. Naturally, he swore never to make himself an object of ridicule again. Since he is at the frontline of criminal cases, your guess is as good as mine. This is not an isolated case. If you are very close to the men and women in uniform, you will hear a lot of such cases where police efforts to bring suspects to justice were thwarted by men and women in authority, who in one breadth tout the supremacy of the law and in another frustrate the law enforcement agencies in their work. It appears the law only works in one direction – of those who do not have a title or have any close associate with a title. The law enforcement agencies, the police in particular, have attracted the ire of the general public for ineptitude, inaction and corruption. Many even blame the high level of indiscipline prevailing in the country on the inefficient and ineffective performance of the law enforcement agencies, which the police form a pivotal part. While the police and other law enforcement agencies cannot escape blame for the national situation, many may not believe that officialdom has created the platform for even those who are prepared to discharge their duties to get frustrated and in extreme cases join the bandwagon in corrupt practices. When junior officers and the other ranks realise that their superior officers will play ball and allow suspects to go scot free they will not hesitate to collect their fair share of the bribe money: That is the national problem confronting us now. This was the point that was brought to the fore by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCO) Mr Kofi Danso Adei Acheampong, the Upper West Regional Police Commander, when he spoke at a forum on security and fire safety in Wa a week ago. The police officer spoke about the harm influential personalities who interfere in the work of the police are causing the country. Such interferences do not only embolden criminals. They also undermine the justice system of the country and discourage personnel of the security agencies and lower their morale. They also afford the bad lots the excuse to do the wrong things under the guise of obeying orders from above. Not too long ago, a popular musician was arrested for obstructing a police officer from performing his duty. Not only that. She assaulted the officer and tore his official uniform. This was a case which offered the opportunity to establish the sanctity and authority of the police as the nation's number one law enforcer. Strangely the case went into a kind of hibernation and when it was brought back to life after a long adjournment, there was a settlement and the suspect went free with a token fine which was readily paid without a wink. This cannot be a motivation for dedicated service to the nation, neither can it serve as a deterrent to others and establish the fact that this is not a lawless country and that the law will take its full course no matter whose ox is gored. Just last week, a Ghanaian actor, Kofi Adu, aka Agya, Koo was in the news for allegedly collecting various sums of money from some people with the promise to secure US visa for them. One of his clients who paid the US visa as far back as March 8, 2011 got fed up with the hide-and-seek antics of Agya Koo and reported the matter to the police. Agya Koo was arrested and charged among others, for defrauding under false pretences. We were waiting patiently expecting that the law would take its course and if the accused is proved guilty, suffer the penalty accordingly. When Agya Koo appeared before an Accra Circuit Court, he did not deny collecting those monies. Strangely, in the end, the court decided to act as a debt collector by asking the accused to refund the money and not even with interest. Agya Koo refunded the money and left the court a free person. Can we turn round and exact severe penalties on others with similar offences? Can we penalise any person who purchases an item with fake currency and comes to tell a court that he/she made a mistake and so was prepared to withdraw the fake currency and replace it with genuine currency to end the matter? We have all the laws a country needs to ensure sanity and order for its people but none of them seems to be working because right from the word go, influential people and those in authority who must ensure that the law works are ready to bend the rules to their selfish advantage. Mr Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, would not have found himself where he is now, if the laws were not working or if they only swung in favour of the rich and famous. On May 15, 2011, Strauss-Kahn was arrested by the New York Police over allegations of sexual assault following a complaint lodged by a hotel worker. That cost him his position as the Managing Director of the world money-lending body when he tendered in his official resignation on May 18, 2011. The arrest also put to rest, his ambition to contest for the presidency of France. Can we allow the law to work in the same vein in our country? For now, there is no evidence that we are prepared to allow the law to take its course. Until we do that we cannot but contend with a lawless society where justice at best goes to the highest bidder. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com