Deputy Attorney-General, Justice January Sai has said that the promise of creating the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) was not false hope given to Ghanaians.
He says that currently, the Mahama administration is moving faster than any regime in the pursuit of accountability.
“I won’t describe it as false hope. They [ORAL Team] knew that what they were receiving were complaints. Based on the complaints they had given estimates, they are aware that their report will be subjected to further investigations. We could get less. We are moving faster than any regime in our pursuit of accountability,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday January 10.
Srem Sai further said that all the estimated 21 billion Cedis in the report of the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) cannot be recovered.
He explained that when the ORAL team was making the communication that 21 billion Cedis could be recovered, they knew that their report would be subjected to further investigations.
“I don’t think we can recover the entire 21 billion cedis estimated by the ORAL preparatory team,” he said.
He further said that ORAL did not give false hope to Ghanaians.
Dr Justice Srem-Sai further said that there is currently a court case that is challenging the legality of the Operation Recover All Loots.
ORAL was formed as part of the Mahama administration’s efforts to tackle corruption. The promise to create ORAL was made during the 2024 electioneering season. Srem Sai said, “There is currently a suit in court challenging the legality of the ORAL preparatory work.”
Some court cases have been initiated under the ORAL work, including the Sky Train case.Justice Srem Sai has said that the first prosecution witness in the Sky Train case is almost done with his testimony.
He makes the point that the case is ongoing smoothly.
“The first prosecution witness in the Sky train case is almost done his testimony,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, January 10.
The former CEO of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Solomon Asamoah, and its board chair, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, have been charged with six counts of intentionally causing financial loss to the state for $2 million for the Accra Sky Train project, which never materialised.
They have pleaded not guilty and are on bail.
In court on Monday, November 10, the prosecution, led by Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem Sai, presented the state’s first witness, a former board member of the GIIF.
Yaw Odame Darkwah, among other things, indicated in his witness statement that although the Sky Train project was introduced at one of the board meetings, no proposal was submitted, and hence there were no deliberations or approval for its funding.
He intimated that he was only made aware of the payment for the project after it was highlighted by the Auditor-General’s Report.
“I became aware of the payment of $2,000,000 only through the Auditor-General’s report. In accordance with proper procedure, a due diligence report should have been presented to the Board prior to any approval for disbursement.
I have recently been made aware of certain minutes from GIIF Board meetings referencing the Sky Train project. The minutes referred to as evidence of the meeting do not accurately reflect the Board’s deliberations or decisions concerning the Sky Train project at any time.
I have always acted in the best interest of the Republic of Ghana and would not have granted approval for any disbursement without proper due diligence. The minutes of previous GIIF project meetings in which I participated will demonstrate that I consistently acted in good faith, in accordance with due process, and in the national interest.”
Odame Darkwah further dismissed certain minutes from an alleged GIIF board meeting, noting that they did not accurately reflect the board’s deliberations on the Sky Train project.
He added that during his tenure as a board member, multiple investment projects were undertaken, some of which included Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport and Maaha Beach Resort.
After tendering his witness statement as evidence, the defense lawyers were called to begin cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
The case has been adjourned to Wednesday, November 12, for continuation.
