By Elizabeth PUNSU
About US$21.19billion is expected to be recouped by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team from some 36 cases and the real value for some lands looted by some members of the erstwhile government.
These are from cases such as the National Cathedral, Power Distribution Servies (PDS) deal, Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), among others.
Chairman of the ORAL Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made these revelations when the team presented their preparatory report to the President at the Jubilee House on Monday.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, 36 of the cases reviewed in detail by the committee, not less than $20.49billion can be successfully retrieved which is going to be a great deal as most of these resources belonged to taxpayers.
He added that per experts’ estimation, about $702.8million of the money will be from state lands looted in prime areas especially Cantonment. Mr. Ablakwa indicated these can be retrieved successfully when people are asked to pay consecutively the value for the lands with which they have looted.
“We raise potentially $21.19billion and that is far more than what we have been chasing the IMF for and subjecting ourselves to all kinds of conditionalities,” he said.
Per the above records, Mr. Okudzeto expressed appreciation to the President, John Dramani Mahama for establishing the ORAL Committee to ensure Ghanaians recoup what is theirs.
He further revealed that a total of 2417 complaints came to the ORAL team over the last 53 days and 230 cases have been reviewed critically.
He wondered where these complaints had been and what would have happened if ORAL had not existed.
“In total the number of complaints received amounts to 2417, so those who had any doubt on the relevance of ORAL, how timely the president’s intervention was at the time, this is your evidence. Where will all of these people have gone if president Mahama has not set up an ORAL preparatory team. It was a right decision for the country and it has deepened transparency and accountable governance.,” he said.
He further elaborated on the several other things the committee has been able to prevent since its inception. These include, collaborating with the National Security to save of 50 bungalows, lands belonging to the Northern Development Authority at Cantonment, halt a clash at the Dubois Centre, halt the demolition of quarters belonging to staff of the Ghana Musuem and Monuments Board among others.
