Gov’t Urged to Beef-up AG’s Department
By Gifty Boateng
As the public grow impatient about the pace of flagship project, Operation Recover All Loots,(ORAL), calls are mounting to recruit more hands to assist the Attorney General to deliver on the key campaign promise.
A member of the high-powered Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team, private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, has made a passionate plea to the government to beef up the legal team at the Attorney General’s (AG) and Ministry for Justice’s office.
Kpebu, speaking on Accra FM’s ‘Citizens Show,’ stressed that the current number of lawyers at the AG’s office is woefully inadequate to handle the immense workload, especially with the public clamour for the speedy prosecution of former Akufo-Addo appointees accused of looting state resources.
“Of course, naturally, if we can get more lawyers to go and help the Attorney General, it will help. If the government can recruit more lawyers, it will help with the speed for the Attorney General and his deputies and other senior lawyers. Naturally, they are not that many,” Kpebu said.
He urged the government to act swiftly, arguing that an increased legal team would enable the AG’s office to efficiently and effectively handle the avalanche of alleged corruption cases.
ORAL is Working, Just Not in the Media
Responding to claims that ORAL was failing, Kpebu vehemently disagreed, stating that a lot of work is happening behind the scenes.
He revealed that former appointees are being questioned daily by various anti-corruption agencies, including the National Security, the Bureau of National Intelligence (NIB), the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), and the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP).
“ORAL is working, it is just that it is not every day that you will hear ORAL, ORAL, but ORAL is working. It is not only the Attorney General that is handling it, OSP is working, EOCO is working, Attorney General then normal police,” he added.
Explosive Revelations: The Case of Cecilia Dapaah
To buttress his point, Kpebu cited the case of former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resource, Cecilia Dapaah. He disclosed that besides the well-known case of her missing cash, there is another investigation into a contract she allegedly signed without the AG’s involvement.
Kpebu revealed that the owner of the company, Aqua Africa, a certain Philip James Foster, was arrested and interrogated just last week.
“Let me tell you, even with a normal police, with Cecilia Dapaah, apart from the monies that were found in her house, there was also a contract she signed without recourse to the Attorney General… the name of the company is Aqua Africa, owned by Philip James Foster.
It was last week that finally, the police arrested Philip Foster for investigation because our money was involved because they did a shoddy work,” Kpebu exposed.
“Over 200 Former Appointees Questioned”
Without mincing words, Kpebu asserted that over 200 former government appointees have been called in for questioning, with some even admitting to wrongdoing. He mentioned that about two and a half months ago, Felix Kwakye Ofosu had given an update of about 170.
While acknowledging that the investigative process may seem slow, Kpebu assured the public that there would be favourable outcomes with time.
He mentioned several ongoing cases, including the National Service payroll scandal, the Prof. Ameyaw Ekumfi’s Ghana Infrastructure Fund case, the Buffer Stock Company Limited CEO case, and the National Petroleum Authority’s GHS280 million case.
Kpebu called on Ghanaians to exercise restraint, noting that the public pressure is good and will spur the authorities to act. He concluded by revealing that the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, is aware of the public pressure and is committed to making progress.
ORAL Team and its Mandate
The Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team, a key campaign promise of President John Dramani Mahama, was constituted after the December general election to retrieve all state assets allegedly looted by former government appointees.
The team comprises now-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (chairman), former Auditor General Daniel Yao Domelovo, former police Chief Nathan Kofi Boakye, investigative journalist Raymond Archer who now heads EOCO, and lawyer Martin Kpebu.