Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu stated January 3 that Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) will scale up this year as part of the fight against corruption, projecting that Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine will file more cases in court during 2026.
ORAL is going to do far better. There are going to be more cases sent to court this year, Kpebu stated according to reports from 3News. The legal practitioner serves as a member of the ORAL team alongside former Auditor General Daniel Yaw Domelevo, retired Commissioner of Police Nathan Kofi Boakye, and investigative journalist Raymond Archer, with Member of Parliament for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa serving as chairman.
The ORAL team presented its report to President John Dramani Mahama February 10, 2025, in Accra, concluding 53 days of reviewing corruption petitions and cases. The team examined 230 cases in total, with 44 received directly from civil society organizations and public spirited citizens. Of these, 59 cases had emerged during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) opposition period but received detailed review during the ORAL process.
Ablakwa stated during the presentation that 36 cases reviewed in detail could enable Ghana to retrieve as much as USD 20.49 billion if recoveries prove successful, including cases involving National Cathedral, Power Distribution Services (PDS), Meridian Port Services (MPS), and Strategic Mobilization Limited (SML). This projection indicated Ghana could recover significantly more money should the remaining 194 cases see successful conclusions.
President Mahama directed Dr. Ayine to commence immediate investigations into all cases reported, marking the official start of phase two of ORAL involving actual recoveries and retrievals of state wealth in cash and kind from individuals guilty of robbing Ghana. The president warned those who think they can defraud the state and escape justice, stating Ghana is no longer a safe haven for corruption.
Speaking on Citi FM following the report submission, Kpebu assured that Dr. Ayine will take action on petitions submitted to the team, emphasizing that complaints from the public must not be ignored. These are petitions. Some were submitted anonymously, but they contain valuable information. The Attorney General will not discard them. He will review them carefully and begin investigations, starting with the more straightforward cases while also working on the complex ones, Kpebu stated.
The legal practitioner warned there would be consequences if Dr. Ayine failed to act. We will not let him overlook these cases. He will be held accountable, he stressed. Kpebu emphasized that the ORAL team would maintain pressure for prosecutorial action, noting We know the petitions we submitted. How will the AG throw them away when he knows that I, Kpebu, sat through, brought petitions, and gathered some evidence? He won’t get peace. Ablakwa won’t give him peace. Domelevo will not give him peace.
Attorney General Ayine confirmed December 22, 2025, during the Government Accountability Series that investigations under ORAL are progressing steadily as authorities work towards filing charges meeting strict standards of criminal prosecution. The ORAL investigations are proceeding well, and we continue to beef up initial investigation reports to file charges that meet the standards of proof in criminal trials, Dr. Ayine stated.
He emphasized focus remains on ensuring any charges filed are fully supported by credible evidence in line with criminal law requirements. According to him, careful and methodical preparation is essential to securing convictions and maintaining public confidence in the justice system.
However, Member of Parliament for Yendi, Abdul Fatawu Alhassan, explained October 14, 2025, that Dr. Ayine is following due processes to ensure credible and successful prosecutions rather than rushing cases to court. Speaking on Channel One TV, he said cases from ORAL are not being rushed because the Attorney General must independently verify findings before heading to court.
No Attorney General worth his salt will get up and take that document, run into court, Alhassan stated. He noted that taking immediate legal action based solely on the committee’s report could result in weak cases and possible embarrassment for the state. The public is justified in their concerns, but as a government, we must explain that proper legal procedure takes time. It’s better to take time and get the work done well than to rush and lose in court, he added.
Critics including former Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah Yeboah have questioned ORAL’s effectiveness and legitimacy. Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem February 11, 2025, Tuah Yeboah described ORAL as toothless and stated he would not respond to any call from the team. In my view, they cannot help in any way with the fight against corruption. We have state institutions for that purpose. If we have resources, they should be channelled to these state institutions so they can do their job, he stated.
Pollster Mussa Dankwah also suggested February 11, 2025, that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) should handle ORAL cases rather than the Attorney General’s office, arguing specialized anti corruption institutions possess appropriate mandates and resources for such prosecutions.
Kpebu has defended Dr. Ayine’s prosecutorial decisions in several high profile cases. The legal practitioner lauded the Attorney General January 30, 2025, for discontinuing the ambulance case against Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa, stating Dr. Ayine saved the nation from embarrassment. We applaud the Attorney General for saving us from this great embarrassment. The High Court should have struck out the case immediately after the tape leaked, Kpebu stated on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem.
Similarly, Kpebu defended Dr. Ayine’s handling of the case involving former National Signals Bureau Director Kwabena Adu Boahene in March 2025, stating the Attorney General was simply following legal process. What the AG is doing is in line with the law. This is how legal proceedings work, and he is simply doing what the law permits him to do as Attorney General, he stated.
Responding to concerns that the Attorney General’s confidence in securing convictions could influence public perception and judicial process, Kpebu dismissed such claims. The Attorney General is always expected to take a stance in cases he prosecutes. This happens all over the world. When the opposition comes into power, they will also do the same. There is value in the noise because it strengthens our democracy, he stated.
Raymond Archer, who served on the ORAL team, was appointed as one of the deputy directors of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), enhancing institutional coordination for pursuing corruption cases emerging from ORAL investigations. Kpebu noted this appointment would assist in holding Dr. Ayine accountable for taking action on submitted petitions.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused Dr. Ayine of shielding NDC members through abuse of prosecutorial powers while targeting opposition figures. However, government officials including Deputy Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu have defended the Attorney General, stating he is following due process in prosecutions and that rights of all accused persons will not be violated.
NDC Ashanti Regional Chairman Kwesi Andrews expressed dissatisfaction with ORAL’s performance, suggesting the initiative has not delivered expected results in terms of actual recoveries and prosecutions. Whether ORAL investigations translate into successful prosecutions and asset recoveries in 2026 depends partly on the Attorney General’s capacity to build cases meeting criminal law standards while managing public expectations for swift action against corruption.
President Mahama emphasized Ghana’s resources belong to its people and must be utilized judiciously for collective benefit. His administration has positioned anti corruption efforts including ORAL as central to governance reforms and economic recovery initiatives following years of alleged mismanagement under the previous government.
Discussion about this post