ORAL not just a campaign slogan; every suspect will be prosecuted — Deputy AG

Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Justice Srem Sai, has assured Ghanaians that the report submitted by the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) Committee will be used to prosecute individuals implicated in corruption.

The ORAL Committee submitted its report, which contains 2,417 complaints of suspected corruption, to President John Mahama at the Jubilee House on Monday, February 10.

The committee had gathered reports from the public following a nationwide call to expose corruption.

Speaking to the media in Accra on Thursday, March 20, Dr. Srem Sai acknowledged the public’s interest in seeing prosecutions commence.

However, he emphasized that the Attorney General’s Department is carefully reviewing the report to ensure due process is followed.

“Every day, I see people on social media and other media platforms really asking, ‘When is ORAL going to start?’ And I understand them to be asking when we are going to start prosecuting or arresting persons suspected of stealing public money or engaging in corruption,” he said.

“I will take this opportunity to assure the public that President Mahama’s government is committed to fighting corruption, bringing people to book, and most importantly, recovering the loot that we have all seen,” he stated.

Dr. Srem Sai explained that investigations are ongoing to build strong cases against suspects before prosecution begins.

“What we are doing at the Attorney General’s Department is what we call building the dockets for these prosecutions. In as much as we know the public is eager to see action, we believe that it must be done within the framework of the rule of law. You must respect the rights of persons, even those we know are engaging in corruption, let alone those we suspect,” he stated.

He urged the public to exercise patience, emphasizing that investigative bodies, including the Police Service and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), are working diligently to ensure credible prosecutions.