Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu has defended the pace and methods of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, insisting that investigators are adhering strictly to due process, while Walewale Member of Parliament Dr Tiah Abdul-Kabiru Mahama has warned that anything short of the $21 billion promised recovery target will constitute a failure.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, February 28, Kwakye Ofosu confirmed that more than 100 former government appointees are currently under investigation as part of ORAL’s anti-corruption drive. He stressed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government never envisioned extrajudicial action when it launched the initiative.
“When we promised ORAL, we didn’t talk about extrajudicial means. Due process is the only path we are following,” the minister said.
Dr Kabiru, however, raised the benchmark high, arguing that public confidence in the initiative rests entirely on delivering the figure that anchored the original promise. He maintained that the $21 billion recovery figure, first identified by the ORAL Preparatory Committee after reviewing high-value corruption cases, is non-negotiable as a measure of success.
ORAL was established on December 18, 2024, under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration to identify and recover state assets allegedly misappropriated by officials of the previous government. The preparatory committee, chaired by North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, submitted a report to the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, covering approximately 250 cases.
Kwakye Ofosu has consistently maintained that the Attorney General is conducting thorough, evidence-based investigations to ensure prosecutions are legally sound and not merely performative.
