BNI not above the law - Interior Minister-designate

Minister-designate for the Interior Ambrose Dery has assured the public that under his leadership the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) will operate within the laws of the country.

“BNI should not be above the law,” Mr Dery said in a response to a question by Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, in connection with the powers of the BNI, during the vetting session of the Appointments Committee on Saturday, January 21.

Mr Akyea had suggested that the BNI has often refused access to lawyers by suspects in their custody and on occasions where there was a lawyer, they are not allowed to be present during the interrogation of suspects.

Mr Dery was emphatic: “When there is no lawyer, we achieve negative results and we know that people have been convicted and served sentences and after several years people have come out to say that they were framed up.”

He explained that such a system would not be allowed to thrive and he would liaise with the National Security Minister to resolve such lapses.

“We must implement Article 17 [of the 1992 Constitution]; we are all equal before the law. I’ll collaborate with my senior Kan-Dapaah [Minister for National Security-designate] because that is an intelligence agency. The commitment to work within the law must be guaranteed. I have suffered it as a lawyer and I don’t intend to condone it,” he stated.