ORAL Team Presents Report Containing 2,417 Suspected Corruption Complaints To Mahama

The Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) Committee on Monday, February 10 submitted its report to President Mahama containing 2,417 complaints of suspected corruption.

The complaints, which were gathered from the public in response to the committee’s call for the public to report suspected corruption cases, were officially handed over to the president at the Jubilee House.

Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa, Chairman of the committee and Foreign Affairs minister addressed the president before presenting the report. He stated that Ghanaians were deeply concerned about corruption and were eagerly anticipating the president’s actions to address the issue.

In the president’s efforts to tackle the canker of corruption, the ORAL team was swiftly put in place to begin work even before the President was sworn into office.

In total, the committee has received 1,493 reports through a toll-free call and 924 via emails, bringing the total number of reports to 2,417.

For his part, the president commended the team for their work, especially given that they had requested no remuneration.

He said, “Every pesewa” recovered from the operation will be reinvested in national development, emphasising that Ghana is no longer a ground for corruption.

 

 

 

 

 

50 State Bungalows Saved

Immediate past Chairman of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) committee and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the work of the committee prevented the demolition of 50 bungalows that were under threat.

“Thanks to the establishment of ORAL, we have been able to save 50 bungalows that were on the verge of being demolished,” Ablakwa announced, emphasizing the crucial intervention by the office.

According to the Chairman of the Committee, public servants had reached out in distress, reporting that private developers were preparing to demolish their properties.

“We received distress calls from public servants who said people had queued up so-called private developers ready to demolish their bungalows,” he said.

Presenting the report to the President on Monday, February 10, Mr Ablakwa revealed that the bungalows at risk were owned by various government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), among others.

“We have provided the details of these bungalows, some belonging to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Gender, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and all of that. But for the president establishing ORAL, we take the view that all of these 50 bungalows would have been demolished,” he revealed.

“But for the president establishing ORAL, we take the view that all of these 50 bungalows would have been demolished,” he stated, highlighting the significance of the office’s intervention.

 

 

 

 

 

Financial recoveries from corruption cases

The Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee also identified $21.19 billion in potential recoveries from looted state assets and undervalued land sales.

Ablakwa revealed that ORAL’s investigation into 36 high-profile cases alone could yield up to $20.49 billion.

“If we are successful in recoveries, we can retrieve as much as 20.49 billion United States dollars,” he stated. These cases include major corruption scandals involving the National Cathedral project, Power Distribution Services (PDS), and the Saltpond decommissioning project, among others.

He said ORAL’s findings indicate that prime state lands were sold at shockingly low prices, leading to an estimated revenue loss of $702.8 million. “Some people acquired prime Cantonments land for as low as 42,000 cedis—land that should fetch $500,000 or more per plot at fair market value,” Ablakwa disclosed.

 

 

 

The President handed over the report to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and instructed him to begin probing the cases for further action where necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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