Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General (AG) and Minister for Justice, has replied to critics defending the Mahama government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative.
According to the Attorney-General, his office had achieved unprecedented results in corruption-related prosecutions within a single year.
He argued that he is the first Attorney-General to have brought five corruption cases in one year to court.
Dominic Ayine further dismissed claims that the government was shifting attention away from the ORAL.
Speaking to journalists, the Attorney-General stated, “As for the threat of arming themselves and making the country ungovernable, I think I will treat it with the contempt it deserves”.
“But as far as this government is concerned, I want to reiterate that we will respect the rights and freedoms of every Ghanaian,” the Attorney-General added.
“You know, it’s very interesting when statements like that are being made that we are doing this because ORAL is failing. ORAL is not failing,” he declared.
He added, “Go back and check the record. I am the first Attorney-General in the history of the Fourth Republic to have brought five corruption cases in one year. Go back and check the records”.
“What is happening in court now is rather putting pressure on them because they know that I have been so diligent in my investigations. I have been so diligent in the prosecutions that they are afraid that their people will go down for the acts of corruption that they are engaging in,” he said.
“And so, the accusation that we are shifting focus away from ORAL is not something that I will pay heed to because ORAL is on track and ORAL is going to succeed,” Dr Ayine stressed.
In related news, Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, says a total of GHC1.5bn in assets has been frozen as ORAL investigations continue.
Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that the frozen assets include individuals involved in 280 ORAL cases under investigation.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on March 3, 2026, Kwakye Ofosu stated, “…Mr Speaker, I can report to you that 1.5 billion Ghana cedis in assets have been frozen by people undergoing investigations and those before court, and they include those who are involved in the 280 ORAL cases that are currently being looked into”.
“Mr Speaker, in respect of ORAL, unless and until persons who are under investigation or are before the court have been convicted, you cannot recover anything from them. The most that can be done is that their assets can be frozen,” he explained.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu has dismissed claims suggesting that President John Mahama stated that the ¢600 million recovered by EOCO was in respect of ORAL.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu detailed that Mahama never referred to ORAL in respect of GH¢600 million recovery, describing the claims as inaccurate.
He added, “It has also been claimed that the President said that EOCO has recovered 600 million Ghana Cedis from Operation Recover All Loots. Mr Speaker, that is not accurate. The President never made reference to ORAL in respect of the GH¢600 million Ghana Cedis”.
