President-Elect John Dramani Mahama has set up a 5-man team to put preparatory measures in place for the implementation of one of his major campaign promises ‘Operation Recover All Loot’ (ORAL), which is aimed at recovering all the resources of the country stolen by public officials.
The preparatory team, whose task is to gather data on corruption cases to ensure that ORAL hits the ground running as soon as Mahama is sworn into office, is made up of renowned Ghanaians known for their disdain for corrupt activities.
Here are the men preparing the way for Mahama’s ORAL
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa:
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, will chair the preparatory team.
The North Tongu legislator has been a thorn in the flesh of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government with his corruption exposés.
Some of his works include the National Cathedral corruption scandal exposé, which has led to the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice recommending the prosecution of the members of the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral.
Ablakwa was behind the SSNIT hotel scandal exposé, which led to the termination of the processes to sell shares of 4 hotels to the Minister for Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.
The MP is also behind the 'state capture' exposé, which fingered leading figures of the government, buying state properties, including lands, at prices way below their values.
Daniel Yao Domelevo:
Former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo is also a member of the team.
Domelevo's removal from office made news headlines in 2020 because he was determined to prosecute some government officials.
Before President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo asked Domelevo to proceed on leave in 2020, he surcharged Yaw Osafo-Maafo for alleged financial infractions he had committed.
Domelevo claimed that the current Senior Advisor to the President, Osafo-Maafo, when he was Senior Minister, colluded with the Finance Ministry to pay UK firm, Kroll and Associates Limited, US$1 million for no evidence of work done.
However, the acting Auditor-General (A-G), Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, a day after Daniel Domelevo began his 167 days ‘forced’ leave, cleared Osafo-Maafo of any wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that President Akufo-Addo’s removal of Domelevo from office was unconstitutional.
Nathaniel Kofi Boakye
Nathaniel Kofi Boakye is a retired Commissioner of Police (COP) of the Ghana Police Service.
COP Nathan Kofi Boakye, until his retirement, was the Director General for Legal and Prosecutions at the National Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service.
He had served in various capacities before being appointed Director General. He is best remembered for serving as the Regional Commander of the Ashanti Region and Greater Accra Region, where he apprehended some notorious criminal gangs.
Martin Kpebu
Martin Kpebu, a renowned legal practitioner who made his name by winning landmark cases at the Supreme Court, is a member of the ORAL preparatory team.
Kpebu is an ardent critic of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on issues of corruption and the mismanagement of Ghana’s economy.
He has on a number of occasions accused President Akufo-Addo of protecting his appointees who are caught engaging in acts of corruption.
Raymond Archer:
Raymond Archer, one of the best investigative journalists in Ghana, is also a member of Mahama's anti-corruption team.
In 2002, Archer won both the Global Medal and the African Prize of the 2002 Lorenzo Natali Prize for Excellence in Journalism sponsored by the European Union and the International Federation of Journalists.
One of Raymond Archer’s investigative works revealed massive corruption in the judiciary, leading to public outcry and calls for reforms.
BAI/OGB
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