Mussa Dankwah, Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, has proposed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), rather than the Attorney-General, should take responsibility for handling the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) report to depoliticise investigations and prosecutions.
Mr Dankwah argued that the cases related to ORAL could extend beyond the current administration’s term and may face complications in the future, particularly if the political landscape shifts following the 2028 elections.
He highlighted the risk of a nolle prosequi (dismissal) being filed if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) does not win the upcoming election, potentially halting progress on these high-profile cases.
The ORAL committee’s report, presented to President John Dramani Mahama on February 10, identified $21.19 billion in potential recoveries from looted state assets and undervalued land sales.
The report detailed major corruption cases, including those related to the National Cathedral project, Power Distribution Services (PDS), and the Saltpond decommissioning project.
While Mr Mahama forwarded the report to the Attorney-General for further action, Dankwah stressed that the OSP should be resourced and empowered to take on politically sensitive cases.
He believes that this move would ensure the continuity of prosecutions even in the event of a change in government, helping to avoid perceptions of political interference in the legal process.
In his Facebook post, Mr Dankwah noted that successive governments have failed to fully separate the roles of the Attorney-General and state prosecution, allowing for political influence over legal proceedings.
He suggested that the OSP, with its independent status, could provide a more neutral and effective approach to handling such cases.
