News
ORAL Committee presents report, with an estimated value of $20.49billion from 36 cases reviewed
Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee led by Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa officially hands over investigative report to President yesterday.
According to Okudzeto Ablakwa,
ORAL can retrieve $20.49 billion with 36 cases.
The President handed over the re port to the Attorney General and Minister for Justice with a directive to immediately begin investigations into the committee’s findings.
He noted that the findings of the ORAL report call for sober reflection on the massive financial leakages that should have been invested in education, healthcare, infrastructure and social development.
“Ghana is no longer a safe haven for corruption. To those who stand for integrity, accountability, and the rule of law, I assure you that this government remains your steadfast pattern in building a nation where honesty and hard work are rewarded,” President John Mahama.
Presenting a summary of the findings, the Chairman of the Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, said the value of thirty-six (36) financial cases reviewed is estimated at $20.49 billion.
According to a summary of the report, the cost of land cases alone is estimated at $702.8 million. Mr Ablakwa said the demining revelations vindicate President Mahama from critics of his resolve to pursue economic saboteurs.
The committee received 2,417 complaints in total, including 44 petitions received directly, 924 emails, and 1,493 phone calls.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
