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Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Chairman has launched a policy effort to permanently prohibit the acquisition of state assets by politicians and others with political exposure.
Speaking on Monday, January 13, on PM Express, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa explained that this action is a key component of President John Mahama’s plan to guarantee accountability and safeguard public assets.
The MP for North Tongu emphasized that in order to address the systematic abuse of power by certain public officials, long-term structural reforms are required.
Mr. Ablakwa remarked, “I like what the new President has talked about as he will ensure that there are long-lasting institutional reforms.”
“The bill I’m discussing will guarantee that purchasing state assets is prohibited for politicians and anybody with political exposure. That is going to be significant.
Operated since Mahama’s return to office, the ORAL project aims to restore state resources that have been embezzled, maintain transparency, and stop further maltreatment.
In order to change Ghana’s public accountability culture, Mr. Ablakwa emphasized that ORAL is a long-term aspect of government rather than a pilot project.
Many people believe that ORAL stops when the Attorney General assumes office, however this is untrue. According to the MP, ORAL is a permanent feature that moves from data collection to actual prosecutions, retrievals, and reforms.
Additionally, he described ORAL’s multi-phase strategy, which includes moving from the current data collection preliminary phase to full-scale legal action.
We’ll go from this preparatory stage to the point where the state’s institutions really handle the crisis’s genuine issues, such as prosecutions, retrievals, surcharges, and confiscations.
“Our goal is to recover as much as we can because if we don’t, all of this work in assembling the data will have been in vain,” he said.
The public was reassured by Mr. Ablakwa that ORAL is dedicated to safeguarding individuals who provide vital information, while acknowledging the difficulties whistleblowers encounter in the current system.
The trust that people will have in an ORAL arrangement is crucial. Under the current whistleblower environment, people lack confidence because they have frequently been singled out and paid high prices. He said, “We’re changing that.”
Mr. Ablakwa disclosed that President Mahama has pledged a comprehensive investigation into the misappropriation of state lands, in addition to prohibiting politically exposed individuals from obtaining state assets.
“The president has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation on state lands. Many of them would be taken and given back to the land’s rightful owners, the Ghanaians,” he declared.
Additionally, Mr. Ablakwa emphasized how Ghanaian institutions carry out ORAL’s mission.
“The Attorney General will determine whether to pursue charges after reviewing all of the evidence we have gathered thus far. Other situations involving corruption or money laundering may be referred to the OSP or EOCO. “The institutions will carry out their duties,” he declared.
Ghanaians were reassured by the ORAL chairman that this project is a transformative approach to government rather than a short-term political tactic.
In terms of the actual execution to retrieve the loot, expect to see a lot more activity. A flash in the pan is not what this is. “ORAL won’t go away,” Mr. Ablakwa said.