Govt identifies 30 ORAL cases for prosecution as more corruption charges loom

Ghana's anti-corruption drive is entering a new phase after the Attorney General's Office revealed it has identified about 30 cases for prosecution under the government's Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, with several already before the courts and more expected to be filed in the coming weeks.

The disclosure provides the clearest indication yet of the scale of legal action the Mahama administration intends to pursue as it seeks to recover alleged misappropriated public funds and prosecute suspected financial crimes linked to state institutions.

Speaking on TV3's Hot Issues programme on Sunday, Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, said prosecutors had completed an extensive review of investigation files submitted under the ORAL initiative.

"When we analysed the report, I think we had about 30 cases that we thought were prosecutable," he said.

According to Dr Srem-Sai, between five and 10 of those cases are already at advanced stages before the courts, while another batch is expected to be filed before the start of Ghana's new legal year in October.

"We have other dockets already. But we are going to start with them, either during the legal vacation... We are going to start new cases," he said.

The announcement signals an acceleration of one of President John Dramani Mahama's flagship accountability programmes, launched after the 2024 general election to investigate allegations of corruption, financial loss and abuse of public office.

Although Dr Srem-Sai declined to identify individuals who could face the next round of prosecutions, he indicated that more high-profile cases were imminent.

"There will be some interesting cases coming soon," he said.

Cases chosen on evidence, not politics

The Deputy Attorney General rejected suggestions that prosecutors were prioritising cases based on political prominence or public attention.

Instead, he said the Attorney General's Office was guided solely by the strength of the available evidence.

"When we work, we don't actually focus on which one is big or which one is that. We focus on which one is prosecutable," he said.

He stressed that investigators are routinely asked to conduct further inquiries whenever prosecutors identify gaps in evidence before charges are approved.

"The investigators bring the first report. We look at it, we find gaps. We ask them to fill the gaps and then bring them back until we are certain that we have filled all the gaps. Then we take the step to go and prosecute," he explained.

Major corruption trials advancing

Dr Srem-Sai also provided updates on several ongoing high-profile prosecutions.

He said prosecutors had closed their case in the SkyTrain trial and were awaiting the defence after the accused persons failed to file witness statements within the court's deadline.

"We are going back to court tomorrow," he said.

On the criminal case involving former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene, Dr Srem-Sai said the prosecution was nearing the end of its evidence.

The fourth prosecution witness remains under examination and is expected to complete testimony within days, after which the state intends to close its case.

Frimpong-Boateng report still under review

The Deputy Attorney General also addressed investigations arising from the report on illegal mining submitted by former Environment Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

He said investigative reports had already been submitted to the Attorney General's Office but prosecutors had ordered further investigations before deciding whether criminal charges should be filed.

"We have received investigative reports. We have made further directions to investigate this with other evidence for us to form an opinion on it," he said.

ORAL enters critical stage

The latest update marks a significant expansion of the ORAL initiative.

In February, Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine disclosed that his office was reviewing 16 investigation dockets and insisted no plea bargains or negotiations had been entered into with individuals implicated in the investigations.

Five months later, that number has nearly doubled to about 30 prosecutable cases, suggesting investigators have substantially widened the scope of the government's anti-corruption campaign.

With more cases expected before the courts in the coming months, the ORAL initiative is likely to remain one of the Mahama administration's most closely watched governance and accountability programmes.