Former member of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) committee, Martin Kpebu, has identified understaffing at the Attorney-General’s Department as a major obstacle to prosecuting cases uncovered by the committee and recovering allegedly misappropriated state funds.
He argued that although the ORAL committee had identified several cases involving alleged corruption and financial misconduct, the shortage of prosecutors and investigators was undermining efforts to pursue those matters through the courts.
Speaking in a follow-up interview on Joy FM on Wednesday, November 4, Mr Kpebu said the successful recovery of state assets depended largely on the capacity of the Attorney-General’s Office to investigate and prosecute the cases.
He called for the recruitment of experienced prosecutors and investigators, alongside improved remuneration, to strengthen the department’s ability to handle complex financial and corruption-related cases.
“There is a perennial problem of the AG’s office being understaffed. They don’t have enough staff. So, in these ORAL matters, I said the real game changer is the recruitment of experienced prosecutors and investigators to help with the work,” he said.
Mr Kpebu further raised concerns about the remuneration offered to legal professionals at the Attorney-General’s Department, arguing that inadequate salaries could make it difficult to attract and retain highly skilled personnel.
“The next point is that, how far is the recruitment of more investigators and prosecutors, and of course the remuneration. Because I am also aware that in the Attorney General’s chamber, the remuneration is a big issue; they are not well remunerated,” he said.
He questioned how the government expected to recover billions of dollars in alleged stolen assets without adequately compensating the professionals responsible for pursuing the cases.
“You want to recover billions, and the person is paid next to nothing; no, that won’t get the result. To recruit top-notch people, the salary must be good, and from the little that I know, that salary cannot attract top-notch prosecutors and investigators,” he added.
According to Mr Kpebu, identifying suspected cases of financial wrongdoing would amount to little without the institutional capacity and resources required to secure successful prosecutions and recover public funds.
Dispute over $21.19 billion recovery figure
His comments come amid controversy surrounding a potential $21.19 billion recovery figure announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the immediate past chairman of the ORAL committee.
Mr Ablakwa had indicated that the amount could potentially be recovered from 36 major cases, high-value investigations and alleged losses involving state lands and other public assets.
However, Mr Kpebu disputed the suggestion that the figure represented a collective assessment by the committee.
He maintained that the $21.19 billion estimate reflected Mr Ablakwa’s personal assessment and was not an amount collectively evaluated and agreed upon by all members of the ORAL committee.
The disagreement has renewed attention on the distinction between identifying potential recoverable state assets and successfully securing their recovery through investigations, prosecutions and legal proceedings.
