One of the main issues observed in the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government, which became a major campaign topic for the 2024 general election, was the numerous corruption scandals under the administration.

The frequency of these scandals were alarming, with key figures in the erstwhile government, as well as some persons close to the presidency, often implicated.

Another worrying trend were accusations of abuse of power by leading government figures, including Akufo-Addo himself.

President John Dramani Mahama, as part of his campaign promises for the 2024 election, pledged to investigate all the corruption scandals that occurred under the Akufo-Addo government.

He also announced the establishment of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) preparatory committee to start gathering evidence of corruption immediately after his election.

It would, therefore, not be surprising to see appointees of the Akufo-Addo government prosecuted through his Attorney General, who is likely to be the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.

Here are some appointees of the Akufo-Addo government who are likely to be prosecuted and the crimes they have been accused of:

Ken Ofori-Atta:



Ken Ofori-Atta, Akufo-Addo’s first Minister of Finance, who served for over seven years, faced numerous allegations of corruption.

Ofori-Atta was frequently accused of conflict of interest for contracting his own company, Databank, to act as a facilitator of loan agreements for the government, earning the company about 1% of all agreements they facilitated.

The former minister was also accused of breaching the 1992 Constitution of Ghana by withdrawing millions of Ghana cedis from the Consolidated Fund without parliamentary approval for the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana.

Additionally, Ofori-Atta was implicated in the revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), where payments of millions of Ghana cedis were reportedly made by the government for no work done.

In 2018, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) indicted Ofori-Atta for breaching regulations during the issuance of a $2.25 billion bond.

Kwasi Amoako-Attah:



Kwasi Amoako-Attah, who was Akufo-Addo’s Minister of Roads and Highways for over seven years, was accused of causing financial loss to the state and breaching the laws of the country while in office.

Amoako-Attah unilaterally abolished the collection of road tolls across the country in November 2021.

He also refused to comply with an order by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to reverse the decision, as the tolls had been established by an act of Parliament and could only be repealed by the House.

The cancellation of road tolls reportedly caused the country to lose GH¢7 million for the remainder of 2021 and about GH¢78 million annually.

Mavis Hawa Koomson:



Former Member of Parliament of Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, who served as Minister of Special Initiatives and Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has been declared a potential candidate for prosecution under a Mahama government by several leading figures in the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Hawa Koomson, responsible for initiatives like "One Village, One Dam" and "One District, One Factory," faced numerous allegations of corruption in her roles.

She was also implicated in election-related violence in her constituency, Awutu Senya East, during the 2016, 2020, and 2024 general elections, which all resulted in deaths.

The former MP was reportedly arrested in 2020 after firing gunshots during a voter registration exercise for the 2020 Election.

In the 2024 Election, she was again reported to have brandished a gun in public and was accused of being behind an assailant who shot and killed a member of the NDC.

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu:



Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Akufo-Addo’s Minister of Health, is another appointee likely to face prosecution.

The former minister signed a contract for COVID-19 vaccines without parliamentary approval.

He also admitted failing to seek cabinet approval before engaging a private individual for the procurement of Sputnik V vaccines to manage Ghana’s COVID-19 cases.

Pius Enam Hadzide:



Pius Enam Hadzide, who served in various roles in the Akufo-Addo government, including Deputy Minister of Sports and Deputy Minister of Information, is also likely to be prosecuted.

Hadzide was accused of masterminding the Australian visa scandal in 2018, where some 60 Ghanaians, posing as journalists, attempted to enter Australia under false pretenses during the 21st Commonwealth Games.

Although Akufo-Addo suspended him in the wake of the scandal, a government investigation later exonerated him.

The scandal resurfaced in 2024 when Hadzide, as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate of the Asuogyaman Constituency, boasted to his constituents about facilitating the travel of some Ghanaians to Australia and promised to take them to the 2026 World Cup in the United States of America.

Cecilia Dapaah:



Cecilia Dapaah, who served as Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, along with her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor, were accused of corruption and corruption-related offences after two of their house helps allegedly stole $1 million and €300,000 in cash, along with other valuable items, from their residence at Abelemkpe.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which was investigating the matter, closed its case against the former minister and her husband, stating that it lacked the authority to prosecute or take further action on the matter and referred it to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

The referral was based on the suspicion that the large sums of money found at Cecilia Dapaah’s property and in her bank accounts could be the proceeds of a money laundering and structuring scheme.

The then-Attorney General, Godfred Dame, in his advise to the EOCO boss on how to proceed with Cecilia Dapaah’s case, stated: "The OSP's referral to EOCO for investigations to be conducted into money laundering is without basis," and advised that the dockets on the case be returned to the OSP, which eventually happened.

Members of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees:



CHRAJ, in an investigative report, called on the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute members of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees in November 2024.

The commission found significant violations of Ghana's procurement laws by the Board of Trustees, especially in awarding the building contract to Ribade Company Ltd.

Its report declared the contract "void ab initio" for failing to comply with the necessary clauses of the Procurement Act (Act 663, as amended by Act 914).

President John Dramani Mahama has stated that his government would soon commence investigations as directed by CHRAJ.



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