Establishing "ORAL" demonstrates Mahama's commitment to combating corruption, according to Prof. Adei

President-elect John Dramani Mahama's efforts to fight corruption in the nation have been praised by Prof. Stephen Adei, a former rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

According to him, John Mahama's creation of a team for Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) shows some commitment to combating corruption in the nation.

The economist claims that the committee now lacks legal support and is only capable of handling discovery and subsequent transfer to suitable anti-corruption organizations. He has proposed that legislation be drafted to that effect so that the team can take further action.

When asked if ORAL will be able to meet its obligations in the battle against corruption, the economist and administrator, speaking on TV3's Hot Issues on Sunday, December 22, 2024, said:

First of all, "ORAL" as it currently exists has no legal foundation. Unless they enact legislation after January 7th, 2025. It can only be advisory and investigative.

However, I believe that ORAL should only be [dealing] in finding and passing it on to the proper authorities or turning ORAL into a [anti]-corruption agency. This presumably demonstrates his commitment about dealing with corruption.

Following the appointment of the five-member ORAL committee, the president-elect clarified that his organization had received several calls and texts from individuals who wanted to investigate corruption and corruption-related actions in different locations.

He claimed that after assuming power, it became essential to compile evidence supporting these claims and send it to the relevant governmental agencies tasked with investigating them.

According to John Mahama, the team will not decide which person or group should be investigated, prosecuted, or otherwise dealt with; instead, it will compile the material that the public has submitted so that the relevant state institutions can take further action.

others text me, others call me on my phone, and some go through other individuals. After we take office, ORAL will no longer be conducting individual investigations; instead, we want a central location where all of that material can be gathered. It will collect the evidence and forward it to the government agencies tasked with carrying out that type of activity," he clarified.

On Thursday, December 19, 2024, Myriam Montrat, the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, made a courtesy call to the president-elect as he was speaking. "I believe that individuals are misinterpreting the proper committee that I announced for Operation Recover All Loot, or ORAL. He said, "We are getting a lot of information about corruption scandals, things that are going wrong, and all that."

John Mahama asked Ghanaians to give the team any proof they may have of corruption so that it can be submitted to the appropriate authorities for action.