The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director for the Tema West Constituency, James Tamakloe, has described the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative as “hyped, overrated and exaggerated.”
According to him, the government’s approach to fighting corruption does not reflect the commitment it has publicly professed.
Speaking on the issue, Mr. Tamakloe said corruption is “as good as dead” under the current administration, accusing the government of paying lip service to the fight against corruption.
“They’re just paying lip service and engaging in lip service. They’re not ready to fight it,” he said.
His comments follow calls by businessman and economist Dr. Kofi Amoah for President John Mahama to seize what he describes as a rare “perfect storm” created by the conviction of former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko.
Dr. Amoah has challenged the President to use the conviction to demonstrate, in clear and unmistakable terms, his administration’s commitment to its stated zero-tolerance approach to corruption.
The former Goldman Sachs executive was convicted in the United States over a bribery and money-laundering scheme linked to a Ghanaian power project.
According to Dr. Amoah, the conviction has provided Ghana with critical evidence and an opportunity to pursue individuals on the Ghanaian side who may have been involved in or benefited from the alleged corruption scheme.
In a strongly worded commentary on his verified X account, Dr. Amoah argued that the US judicial process, with cooperation from the United Kingdom, had already done much of the difficult work by bringing the case to judgment and providing information that could assist Ghanaian authorities in identifying officials and parliamentarians who may have participated in or benefited from the alleged scheme.
For Mr. Tamakloe, however, the development further highlights what he considers to be the gap between the government’s rhetoric on corruption and concrete action.
He maintained that if the government is genuinely committed to fighting corruption, it must move beyond statements and initiatives and take decisive action against persons found to have engaged in wrongdoing.
He also called for transparency in the handling of corruption investigations, insisting that Ghanaians deserve to see tangible results from the government’s anti-corruption agenda.
By: Bernard Mensah
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