Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister for Communications, has reiterated the John Mahama leadership commitment to the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).
According to Kwakye Ofosu, President Mahama is resolute in ensuring the recovery of state funds looted under the former Akufo-Addo government.
Speaking on Metro TV on Friday, October 24, Mr Kwakye stated, “ORAL has come to stay, and the President is committed to it, and no one will stop it. The Attorney-General has stated that no one will hinder its work”.
In related news, Dr Dominic Ayine, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, has revealed that he is under pressure to enter into plea deals in connection with ongoing corruption investigations on the ORAL cases.
According to Dr Ayine, several plea bargain offers had been made by some accused persons, but he has rejected them.
He revealed that the embattled Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, made offers of a plea deal.
According to the Attorney-General, he turned down Wontumi’s plea deal in the case involving Akonta Mining Company Limited.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, October 22, as part of the Government Accountability Series, stated, “I’m under no pressure from any quarters to cut deals. Mr President, who is my boss, has not put any pressure on me. He gives me his blessings when I brief him. The Chief of Staff has not put pressure on me to cut deals with anybody.”
“Offers have been made, but I have turned all of them down. I have told everybody, please go to court. In the Wontumi case, offers were made to us for a plea bargain, but I said no — I’m filing charges. If you want to announce your intention for a plea deal, do it before the judge. That is now my strategy,” he explained.
He further dismissed claims that he was cutting deals with NPP officials.
“The NPP took advantage and said I was cutting deals. No deals have been cut and no deal will be cut,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, Daniel Domelevo, a member of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team, has admitted that the ORAL team collected and compiled data which included garbage.
According to Domelevo, the ORAL team was limited to gathering complaints without a preliminary investigation.