It has now emerged that majority of the findings of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) committee are based on sheer rumours that need further investigation to merit possible prosecution.
In presenting their report to President John Dramani Mahama on Monday February 10, 2025, Chairman of the ORAL Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa claimed they have identified $21.19 billion in potential recoveries from looted state assets and undervalued land sales.
According to him, ORAL’s investigation into 36 high-profile cases alone could yield up to $20.49 billion and that prime state lands also sold at shockingly low prices, led to an estimated revenue loss of $702.8 million.
Ablakwa who has just been sworn in as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs unethically publicised the unaudited report on his social media outlets even before the formal presentation to President Mahama.
However, a senior member of the ORAL Committee, Daniel Yao Domelevo stated that a significant portion of the corruption-related cases presented to the President, will require thorough auditing to establish wrongdoing and determine the appropriate legal actions.
This followed the committee’s efforts to compile corruption-related complaints from various sectors, culminating in a report detailing over 2,417 cases.
Speaking with Bernard Avle, the Host of Citi Breakfast Show, yesterday, Mr. Domelevo who is a former Auditor-General emphasised the need for an independent and in-depth financial and procurement audit to establish the veracity of the allegations.
He explained that ORAL lacked the legal mandate to investigate cases independently and that the necessary agencies must conduct forensic audits to verify breaches before any legal actions can be taken.
Mr. Domelevo reiterated that ORAL’s primary role was just information gathering, not investigation.
“The President promised he was going to recover all loot and after the elections, he was inundated by messages of reported corruption and so he thought it wise to put us together to collect those information and so what we presented yesterday was on corruption and corruption-related cases, financial fraud and procurement breaches.
“The bulk of it needs auditing to establish those had procurement breaches and cases that were not in line with the laws of Ghana because we didn’t do any investigation. We don’t have a mandate to investigate, ours was to collect information,” Mr. Domelevo stressed.
ORAL report is mere rumours-Tuah Yeboah
A former Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah Yeboah has stated that the findings of the ORAL Committee lack the legal merit required for prosecution.
According to him, the large volume of complaints, do not amount to concrete legal evidence.
Mr. Yeboah also made the comments on the Citi Breakfast Show after the ORAL committee indicated that it received 1,493 calls through the toll-free line, 924 emails, and a total of 2,417 complaints from individuals and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
He argued that legal prosecution required more than just speculation and unverified claims.
“When it comes to criminal prosecution, it is not about what you think or what is supposed to be done, it is about reality. Propaganda, stealing, and rumour are different from hard-core legal evidence,” he added.
Mr. Yeboah explained that while he was not suggesting that those implicated should evade accountability, proper investigative procedures must be followed.
“I am not saying these people have not done anything wrong and that they should not be called to account for it. If there are people who have to be investigated, then it should be the state officers.”
ORAL’s work
The former Deputy Attorney-General also expressed concerns about the legitimacy of ORAL’s investigative process, arguing that a credible joint committee involving state agencies should have been responsible for receiving complaints.
“I do not have issues with gathering because rumours can be gathered by anyone, and that alone has no value. But if, for example, a joint committee had been set up—a joint investigative body consisting of the Police Service and EOCO—and they were there to receive it, then you would see that the state is now working. But people outside the investigative body are now receiving complaints, and those complaints, as I put them, are mere rumours. What value has been put on such rumours?
Mahama directs AG
Meanwhile, President Mahama has directed Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, to launch immediate investigations into the allegations.
This directive, according to him, is part of the government’s broader effort to fight corruption and recover misappropriated public funds.
