The Chairman of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) has announced a policy initiative to permanently ban politicians and politically exposed persons from acquiring state assets.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa speaking on PM Express on Monday, January 13, described this move as a central element of President John Mahama’s agenda to ensure accountability and protect public resources.

The North Tongu MP stressed the need for lasting institutional reforms to address the systemic abuse of power by some public officials.

“What I like about what the new President has talked about is that he is going to make sure that there are lasting institutional reforms,” Mr Ablakwa noted.

“The bill I’m talking about will ensure that we ban politicians and politically exposed persons from buying state assets. That will be major.”

The ORAL initiative, which has been in operation since Mahama’s return to power, is focused on recovering misappropriated state resources, ensuring transparency, and preventing future abuses.

Mr Ablakwa stressed that ORAL is not a short-term effort but a permanent feature of governance aimed at transforming the culture of public accountability in Ghana.

“There’s a misconception that everything about ORAL ends when the Attorney General takes office—far from it. ORAL is a permanent feature, transitioning from gathering data to actual prosecutions, retrievals, and reforms,” the MP said.

He also outlined the multi-phase approach of ORAL, which includes transitioning from the current preparatory phase of data collection to full-scale legal action.

“We will move from this preparatory phase to where we will now have the institutions of state really deal with the actual matters to resolve the crisis—prosecutions, retrievals, surcharges, and disallowances.

"We aim to recover as much as possible because if not, all of this effort in putting the data together will have come to waste,” he explained.

Mr Ablakwa acknowledged the challenges whistleblowers face under the current system and assured the public of ORAL’s commitment to protecting those who provide critical information.

“The confidence people will have in an ORAL setup is really important. People don’t feel confident under the current whistleblower regime because whistleblowers have often become targets and paid hefty prices. We’re changing that,” he stated.

In addition to banning politically exposed persons from acquiring state assets, Mr Ablakwa revealed that President Mahama has promised a thorough probe into the misuse of state lands.

“The President has committed to a comprehensive probe on state lands. Many of them will be appropriated and returned to the Ghanaian people who own this land,” he said.

Mr Ablakwa further highlighted the role of Ghana’s institutions in executing ORAL’s agenda.

“The Attorney General will look at all the evidence we’ve collated so far and decide on prosecutions. Other cases may go to EOCO or the OSP for issues like corruption or money laundering. The institutions will do their work,” he said.

The ORAL chairman assured Ghanaians that this initiative is not a temporary political strategy but a transformative approach to governance.

“Expect to see a lot more action in terms of the actual execution to recover the loot. This is not a flash in the pan. ORAL will not fade away,” Mr Ablakwa concluded.