A section of Ghanaians on social media, particularly on X, have expressed disappointment following the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine’s update on criminal cases at the recent Government’s Accountability Series.

In his update, the Attorney General justified the decision to drop all charges against the accused in the uniBank case, citing the achievement of a 60% asset recovery threshold.

He also used the platform to respond to criticisms, emphasising the complexities of the case and the practical challenges involved in recovering assets in high-stakes financial crimes.

Dr Ayine acknowledged that while convictions in these ongoing cases—as preferred by many Ghanaians, contribute to the accountability process; the notion of achieving 100% recovery of looted assets is ‘illusionary’.

“… Of course, jailing the person is also part of the process of accountability. I do understand when Ghanaians say we should jail them. If we focus on the recovery, it will be very illusionary for anyone to think that the Attorney General or the Republic can recover 100% in every case. In some cases, I may be lucky or let me say, the state will be lucky if the assets are not depreciated but are there in full and I can lay hands on them.

“That is how come that if you have noticed, since I came into office, we have always investigated the criminal conduct together with tracing the proceeds of crime. Except in the National Service case, there has been no major announcement of investigation that has not included the assets of the criminal enterprise,” he said.

His statement, however, has sparked reactions on X as netizens appears to cast doubt on the success of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) which was championed by the government prior to assuming power.

While some agreed with the Attorney General that achieving a 100% recovery threshold may not be possible in certain cases, others voiced criticism of the position.

One user expressed the view that while the government campaigned on Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) and received goodwill from the electorate, its current approach appears to reflect a shift in tone.

“Politicians smh—campaigned with a slogan, a motto, a copy that convinced the electorate otherwise. The mandate was to RECOVER ALL LOOT; today it’s “illusionary?” After coming into office? So, on what bases did ORAL stem from? Bro, ORAL no atɔ nsuo mu; adane ORS!” a netizen expressed.

Another critic echoed similar sentiments, cautioning the government against failing to fulfill its promises.

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