Mahama administration not persecuting opponents; ORAL cases are solid, says Attorney General

Ghana's Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has strongly refuted allegations that President John Dramani Mahama's administration is weaponizing the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative for political persecution. Speaking at a citizens' engagement event in Bolgatanga, Ayine asserted that the cases pursued under ORAL are grounded in meticulous investigations and substantial evidence.

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President Mahama is not persecuting political opponents.

Ayine detailed that the ORAL Committee, established before Mahama assumed office, conducted preliminary corruption investigations and submitted a report. His office has since developed 34 dockets from this report, all of which have completed investigations. "A lot of them are being prepared for filing in court," he announced, highlighting the involvement of multiple state institutions and forensic audits, including an audit of the National Cathedral by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

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His Excellency has always been very, very, very keen to ensure that when we are doing investigations or when we are doing prosecutions, we are not in any way leaving any stone unturned, in a way that will let it look like he’s engaging in persecution of political opponents.

The Attorney General further defended the government's handling of corruption cases, rejecting claims of court failures or deliberate delays. He pointed to his record of filing five corruption-related cases within his first year as Attorney General, contrasting it with the lengthy durations of similar cases under previous administrations. Ayine reiterated President Mahama's keen interest in ensuring ORAL investigations are conducted thoroughly, avoiding any perception of political targeting.

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A lot of them are being prepared for filing in court.