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at keeping a lid on spiralling forex rates at
the parallel market, an action which the
administration said was done in the “interest
of national security” and in concert with the
central bank. These two events proved the
current administration’s growing appetite
for deploying its intelligence apparatus
into controversies that many observers feel
should be within the ordinary jurisdiction of
the police (judicial corruption) or financial
regulators (BDCs). The expanded role of the
DSS in 2016 stoked continued fears that the
administration was undermining two of the
key cornerstones of constitutional democracy
– the commitment to separation of powers
and judicial independence, and its electoral
commitment to abiding by the rule of law.
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