A former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Stephen Adei, has commended President-elect John Dramani Mahama’s efforts to combating corruption in the country.
He says John Mahama’s constitution of a team for Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), is an exhibition of some seriousness towards fighting corruption in the country.
The economist avers the committee, as it is now, does not have any legal backing and can only deal with discovery and onward passage to appropriate anti-corruption institutions, and has suggested that a legislation could possibly be passed to that effect for the team to act beyond that.
Speaking on Hot Issues on TV3 Sunday, December 22, 2024, the economist and administrator, in responding to whether ORAL will live up to the task in the fight against corruption said:
“First of all, there is no legal basis for ‘ORAL’ as it is now. Unless after 7th [January 2025] they make a law. It can only be investigative and advisory. But it shows hopefully that his seriousness to deal with corruption but ORAL as it is, I think should be [dealing] in only discovery and pass it on the appropriate authorities or make ORAL a [anti]-corruption agency.”
The President-elect, after naming the five-member committee for ORAL, explained that his outfit received several calls and text messages from people regarding corruption and corruption-related activities in various places that required probe.
He said it became necessary that evidence substantiating these allegations are put together and forwarded to the appropriate state agencies mandated to work on them after taking over the government.
John Mahama says the team will not be determining which individual or group to be investigate and prosecuted or otherwise, but would rather assemble the evidences being provided by the public for onward action to be taken by the appropriate state institutions.
“Some call me on my phone, some text me, others pass through other people. We want a focal point where all that evidence is directed so that they can assemble that evidence and once we come into office…, ORAL is not going to be investigating people. It is going to gather the evidence and pass that evidence to the government institutions that are supposed to do that kind of work,” he explained.
The President-elect was speaking on Thursday, December 19, 2024, when Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Myriam Montrat, paid a courtesy call on him.
“With regards to ORAL, Operation Recover All Loot, I announced the appropriately committee and I think people are misunderstanding it. We are receiving a lot of information on things that are going wrong, corruption scandals and all that,” he stated.
John Mahama urged Ghanaians to provide every evidence of corruption they have to the team so they can subsequently submit to the requisite institutions for action to be taken.
ORAL: We have received over 400 submissions within 24 hours – Ablakwa
