President John Dramani Mahama has charged the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine to commence investigations into the cases of corruption captured in the report of the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) team.
The ORAL team presented its final report to the president at the seat of government in Accra on Monday, February 10.
The report was presented on behalf of the team by the chair, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
After receiving the report, President Mahama said “The work does not end, the recommendations of the report will be studied carefully.”
He added, “I have handed the report to A-G to commence immediate investigations in the case reported.”
Prior to the president’s comments, the Chair of ORAL, Mr Ablakwa stated “We received 1,493 calls through the toll-free line. We also received 924 emails. Fortunately, all the calls are recorded automatically, and the emails have also been preserved for verification and validation.
He emphasized the necessity of the ORAL Committee, questioning what the petitioners would have done if the President had not established it.
“So, those who had any doubt about how relevant and timely the President’s intervention was at the time, this is your evidence. 2,417 complaints received. Where would all of these people have gone if President Mahama had not set up the ORAL preparatory team?”
The formation of ORAL was a campaign promise that President Mahama gave ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Following the NDC’s victory in the elections, Mr Mahama announced the team but quickly clarified that the team was not mandated to investigate anyone but served as a focal point for collecting evidence of corruption. The evidence will then be passed on to state institutions for action.
He said: ”We are receiving a lot of information on corruption scandals. Some people send texts or call me directly, while others pass the information through intermediaries. ORAL is a focal point to gather and organise this evidence for submission to the appropriate institutions when we come into office.
“The team is not expected to investigate anyone, and there is no budget associated with it. It is purely a preparatory measure.”
