A total of 280 corruption and corruption-related cases are currently under investigation, according to the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.

He disclosed this during an interview on JoyNews on Monday, January 26, explaining that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) introduced Operation Uncover All Roots (ORAL) as a key initiative to promote accountability among public office holders.

“The NDC tabled Operation Uncover All Roots as a proposition to the people as a main tool through which we will ensure that accountability is demanded from public office holders,” he said.

According to him, since the government took office, significant steps have been taken to act on allegations of corruption. He disclosed that the Oral Preparatory Committee compiled information on 280 alleged cases and submitted a report to the Attorney General.

“They presented a report with the 280 cases, and I can tell you that the Attorney General has commissioned investigations into each of them,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated.

However, he said that the report itself could not be used to prosecute anyone without proper investigations.

“The report itself could not have formed the basis for any legal action against anybody because they were just reports. I cannot simply say that because you have said something, then I hold someone and throw him into jail. It would not make sense.”

Assessing Ghana’s fight against corruption, he said the scale of waste and abuse of public resources under the previous administration made a change in government unavoidable. “I think that it was obvious that there was simply too much waste, corruption, and theft of public resources,” he said.

“You in the media were the ones who used to bombard us with corruption scandal after corruption scandal, and it got to a point where we simply became fatigued and came to the conclusion that there was a need to change government.”

Mr Kwakye Ofosu revealed that progress has already been made on several of the cases. “I can tell you that more than 100 people have been held for questioning. Some have been arrested. Some were detained for some time. Some have been granted bail, and others, too, are in court,” he said.

He added that more than 20 cases have reached an advanced stage. “There are over 20 cases whose dockets are almost done and will be going to court. The Attorney General has already proceeded to court on a number of those cases,” he noted.

While acknowledging public impatience for quick results, the minister urged Ghanaians to respect due process.

“I understand that because of the pervasive nature of the corruption in the recent past, people want to see results, and they want it done in a rapid fashion. The government appreciates that fully. Except that ORAL itself has to be done in accordance with Ghanaian law. We cannot act extra-judicially,” he said.

He explained that once cases reach the courts, timelines are no longer controlled by the Attorney General or the government.

“When the Attorney General prepares his case and goes to court, it is a court that is in control. The court determines the timelines, how the process is conducted, and when the case ends.”

Mr Kwakye Ofosu said that fairness must remain central to the fight against corruption.

“Justice has to be done. The operative word is justice. You must use fair means to assess an individual’s guilt or innocence, and that is precisely what is happening.”

Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL)is an initiative set up by the president to gather information on corruption to the appropriate government institutions for further investigation.

The committee is chaired by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who also serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu.

The other members include former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo, retired Police Commissioner Nathaniel Kofi Boakye, legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, and investigative journalist Raymond Archer — all renowned for their integrity and strong stance against corruption.Currently, the hundreds of issues presented by the ORAL team to President John Mahama are being investigated by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine.

Additionally, its work has increased public awareness about the importance of protecting state resources.

The committee's report has revealed that approximately $21.19 billion in potential recoveries are from misappropriated state assets and undervalued land transactions.

ORAL Chairman Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has indicated that "If we are successful in recoveries, we can retrieve as much as 20.49 billion United States dollars."

Among the key cases cited were the National Cathedral project, the Power Distribution Services (PDS) deal, and the Saltpond decommissioning project.

Meanwhile, President Mahama has dismissed allegations that ORAL is being used for political vendettas, reassuring that the initiative is purely intended to strengthen Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.