By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has cautioned state institutions against delaying the release of information required for investigations being conducted by the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) team, warning that such delays could be interpreted as complicity.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, December 22, Dr Ayine said the ORAL investigations are progressing well and signalled a tougher stance in the coming year.
“The ORAL investigation is going on well. 2026 is going to be a different year. If I make demands on you and you delay, I will take the view that you are complicit,” the Attorney-General stated.
He urged all public institutions in possession of information relevant to alleged corruption cases to submit such materials promptly to enable the state to file criminal prosecutions without obstruction.
“All state institutions that have information needed to file criminal prosecutions should not delay in submitting that information,” he added.
Dr Ayine also used the briefing to update the public on ongoing ORAL investigations, including two alleged corruption cases involving Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Percival Kofi Akpaloo.
According to the Attorney-General, one of the cases relates to a GH¢18 million loan application submitted in December 2017 by Wontumi Farms Limited to the Ghana Exim Bank. Investigations, he said, established that the company had not been registered at the time the application and a purported board resolution were submitted, raising questions about its legal capacity to contract.
Dr Ayine further disclosed that documents submitted to the bank as proof of purchase of farming equipment were found to be forged, after investigations confirmed that no payment had been made to the equipment supplier. He stressed that the purpose of ORAL is to ensure accountability in the use of public funds and warned that heads of institutions who fail to cooperate fully risk facing legal consequences.
The Attorney-General assured the public that ORAL investigations are being conducted professionally and without political bias, adding that appropriate legal action will be taken once investigations are concluded.
