In an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, he reiterated the New Patriotic Party (NPP) members’ concerns about the legal framework of the committee.

He asserted that as of December 18, when the ORAL team, chaired by North Tongu MP, was set up, Mahama had yet to be sworn in as President.

“Since Mahama was sworn in on January 7, he has not said anything about ORAL. Dr. Callistus, who is the Executive Secretary, has not written any letter about ORAL.

“So why should we honour any invitation for interrogation by the ORAL team? It has no place in the law,” he stated.

Dr. Boako also recounted an incident where about 10 macho men stormed a state residence he occupied and harassed people.

“They called me, and I asked to speak to one of the guys, Alidu. When I questioned them on the authority they were acting under, he told me their party is in power, and they must survive,” he said.

According to him, such actions should not be tolerated, adding that they expect President Mahama to officially address the committee’s legitimacy.

Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has urged Ghanaians, particularly former appointees under the Akufo-Addo-led government, to boycott any invitation from the ORAL team.

Suame MP John Darko, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, claimed that ORAL was established to persecute political opponents.

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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, focuses 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.

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However, Mr Kwarteng has expressed concerns that the expected outcomes may not be achieved.

The legal practitioner speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme opined that, there should be a robust system in place to achieve a higher rate of success.

According to him, the existence of the human interface could compromise what the committee seeks to do.

“ORAL is good within the context that we are taking information to aid the fight against corruption and the general view that we are recovering all looted assets. But it is important that we get rid of the human interface because it could be compromised,” he bemoaned.

Mr Kwarteng also among other things questioned the legal framework of the committee’s operations as well as their clear mandate.

“What will the team do with the information and where will they keep it? What is the protection measures for the person who divulges information? What is the legal framework? he questioned.

“If you really want to talk about corruption and deal with it, the key metric is to remove human interface” he stressed.

He emphasised that, the fight against corruption is not a simplistic and populistic approach.

Touching on what could be the duplication of the work of existing state agencies like EOCO, CHRAJ among others, Mr Kwarteng suggested, “Why don’t we strengthen these structures so we don’t create duplication?”.

The committee chaired by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is operating on pro bono, with no associated budget or financial burden, and is designed to ensure accountability and fairness.

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