By Issah Olegor
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has firmly rejected allegations that his office is engaging in secret plea bargains or backdoor arrangements with individuals being investigated under the government’s flagship anti-corruption programme, Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), describing such claims as false and misleading.
Dr. Ayine gave the assurance during a briefing session with Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as part of her working visit to the Ministry of Justice, against the backdrop of heightened public debate over the handling of ORAL-related cases.
The concerns had intensified following earlier admissions by some officials that aspects of the ORAL data were preliminary and unverified, fuelling suspicions that politically connected suspects could be receiving favourable treatment.
Addressing these concerns head-on, the Attorney-General insisted that prosecutions under ORAL are proceeding strictly in accordance with the law and without interference.
“When it comes to ORAL, there are issues being raised that we are cutting deals. Your Excellency, ORAL is going very, very well,” Dr. Ayine said, adding that all prosecutions are being led by his deputy and the Director of Public Prosecutions through established legal procedures.
NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, had alleged that some party members were attempting to broker deals with individuals facing possible prosecution.
Addressing the 5th Annual General Conference of NDC lawyers, Fifi Kwetey said “Many among us, despite pleas and pressure that punishment must be properly meted, are busy trying to cut deals with people who are supposed to be prosecuted”.
He added, “Some are becoming conduits through whom pressure is being brought to bear on people who are supposed to do what is right. I may not mention names, but a time will come when we may have to.”
However, the Attorney General stressed that no docket submitted to his office has been compromised in any way, noting that the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) can independently confirm this position.
“I want to put it on record that no docket has come here that has been compromised in any way. No deal, no plea arrangement has been entered into with anybody who has committed an offence within the remit of ORAL,” he stated.
Providing an update on the status of investigations, Dr. Ayine disclosed that 16 ORAL-related dockets are currently under active review.
He explained that his office subjects each case to rigorous scrutiny and does not hesitate to return files to investigative bodies where gaps or weaknesses are identified.
He cited the ongoing National Service Authority case as an example where additional evidence has been requested to strengthen the prosecution.
“We are putting these cases through critical scrutiny. Where we see loopholes in the investigations, we ask the investigative authorities to go back and bring us more evidence,” he said.
Reassuring the public, the Attorney-General emphasized the government’s commitment to accountability and due process, insisting that no offender will escape justice under the ORAL programme.
“People are being held accountable, and they will be held accountable as far as ORAL is concerned,” he said.
Background: ORAL and Public Scrutiny
ORAL was launched in December 2024 by the Mahama administration as part of its broader anti-corruption agenda to trace, recover, and prosecute the misuse of public funds, particularly under the previous administration.
The initiative received tens of thousands of complaints from the public, which were filtered and forwarded to the Attorney-General for further investigation and prosecution.
While the programme has led to several high-profile investigations and court cases, it has also attracted criticism, including claims of hearsay evidence, exaggerated figures, and alleged political selectivity.
These criticisms have kept ORAL under intense public and political scrutiny, prompting repeated assurances from government officials about transparency and fairness.
Land Compensation ‘Tsunami’ Raises Alarm
Beyond the ORAL initiative, Dr. Ayine used the briefing to draw attention to what he described as a growing “tsunami” of land compensation claims against the state, warning that the trend poses a serious financial threat to the country.
According to him, courts across the country are being inundated with land compensation suits, some demanding as much as GH¢500 million per claim.
He explained that many of these cases are based on historical records alleging that compensation for land acquisitions dating back to the colonial era was never paid.
“People go into the archives, dust old documents, and claim that the colonial government did not pay compensation. They then sue the Republic, and many of these cases succeed, even at the Supreme Court,” he revealed.
Preliminary estimates, Dr. Ayine said that the cumulative value of such claims could run into billions of Ghana cedis, a situation he described as deeply worrying for the country’s public finances.
The Attorney-General disclosed that he has instructed the Solicitor-General to prepare a comprehensive brief for President John Mahama on the scale and implications of the land compensation claims.
“I have directed the Solicitor-General to put together a detailed brief for the President on this land compensation tsunami,” he said.
