Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe Criticizes Akufo-Addo’s Approach to Corruption Allegations

Private legal practitioner and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, has accused the outgoing Akufo-Addo government of using heavy-handed tactics to harass officials from the previous Mahama administration, particularly after they assumed power in 2017. ‘

Tameklo recounted an incident in which former Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine woke up one morning to find armed police officers at his home, responding to a legal advice he had provided.

Speaking on Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, December 21, Tameklo warned that if the approach used by President Akufo-Addo against officials of the Mahama government is replicated against outgoing officials, it would have severe consequences. “If this process that was used by President Akufo-Addo is used against the outgoing officials, they will not survive this country. You have no idea what is coming, don’t wish the committee to fail, calm down… due process will be complied with,” he said, adding that the incoming administration will ensure that the law is followed to the letter.

Tameklo’s remarks came in response to criticisms of the newly formed Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) committee. Earlier, Old Tafo lawmaker Vincent Ekow Assafuah had expressed concerns about the ORAL team, accusing them of making baseless allegations of corruption without offering substantial evidence. Assafuah argued that the team was damaging the reputations of innocent people, stressing that such an approach is unlikely to succeed. “They are just playing to the gallery, doing politics with it and hunting innocent people. They are bound to fail,” he said.

Assafuah further stated that ORAL lacks legal backing and is an unconstitutional body. He questioned its purpose and argued that established institutions such as EOCO, OSP, and CHRAJ should handle anti-corruption matters, given their investigative and prosecutorial powers. “The committee doesn’t have investigative and prosecutorial powers,” Assafuah emphasized.

Mary Addah, the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), also criticized the formation of ORAL, calling it a populist measure. She suggested that President-elect John Mahama could have taken a more structured approach to fighting corruption by directing citizens to send their concerns to established institutions like the OSP or CHRAJ. “We have the institutions of the state, and the better approach for Mahama was to have directed the people to send their concerns to the OSP or CHRAJ,” she said. She cautioned against creating committees that serve merely as a way to appease the public without any real power or results.

However, President-elect Mahama clarified that ORAL is not intended to investigate individuals or prosecute cases of corruption. Instead, the team’s role is to gather evidence from the public and forward it to the appropriate institutions for further investigation and action. Mahama explained that ORAL would serve as a focal point for collecting information about corruption scandals and passing it to the relevant authorities. “ORAL is not going to be investigating people; it is going to gather evidence and pass on the evidence to the institutions that are supposed to do that kind of work,” he stated.

Mahama further clarified that the team would not receive payment for their efforts and emphasized that there was no budget allocated for the initiative. The focus, he said, was on creating a centralized system to collect information and ensure it reaches the right bodies once his administration takes office.