A professional association of law students wants Parliament to impose strict time limits on corruption prosecutions and redirect recovered public funds into agencies fighting financial crimes.
The Legal Green Association (LGA) presented proposals aimed at strengthening Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), the government initiative tracking misappropriated state assets. The organization’s recommendations, delivered through a statement signed by Festus Matey, address what members describe as fundamental weaknesses in Ghana’s anti corruption architecture.
The proposals arrive as Attorney General Dominic Ayine advances plans to activate Regional Tribunals established under the 1992 Constitution. During an October 2025 meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and civil society groups, Ayine disclosed that Cabinet has received a Public Tribunal Bill expected to reach Parliament soon.
The student association wants all corruption and economic crime prosecutions completed within twelve months from filing. Members argue that extended trials damage public confidence in the justice system while encouraging potential offenders. The group believes swift case resolution would restore deterrence and demonstrate government commitment to accountability.
Lawmakers could achieve the proposed deadline through legislative amendments or judicial policy directives, according to the statement. The association contends this reform would eliminate chronic delays, ensure timely accountability, and signal serious intent to combat financial misconduct.
The organization also recommends allocating a percentage of recovered funds directly to anti graft institutions. Beneficiaries would include the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Attorney General’s Department, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
Reinvesting seized assets into investigative bodies creates sustainable financing for anti corruption work, the statement suggested. The LGA maintains that effective campaigns against financial crimes require adequately resourced institutions with operational independence. Recycling recovered money into these agencies would strengthen their investigative capacity and prosecutorial effectiveness, members argued.
The student group endorsed reviving Regional Tribunals, describing them as constitutionally legitimate courts with concurrent jurisdiction alongside the High Court. These specialized bodies would handle serious economic offenses, misuse of public funds, and abuse of official positions. Once operational, the tribunals would serve as primary venues for expedited ORAL prosecutions, according to the association.
Ghana’s 1992 Constitution created Regional Tribunals to adjudicate grave offenses against state interests. The courts operated during the Fourth Republic’s early years but gradually became inactive due to insufficient government support and resource limitations.
The association stressed that corruption severely hampers national development by eroding institutional trust and diverting resources from essential public services. Members urged executive and legislative leaders to demonstrate coordinated action on proposed reforms to protect public wealth and restore credibility in governance institutions.
The statement declared that Ghana must translate rhetoric into concrete steps, noting that justice systems cannot function in isolation. Since corruption operates through networks, the fight against it demands cooperative approaches across government agencies, the organization maintained. The LGA called on civil society organizations and media outlets to maintain pressure for accountability, insisting ORAL’s effectiveness depends on sustained national vigilance beyond courts and legislation.
The association characterized ORAL as Ghana’s final opportunity to salvage governance integrity and rebuild public faith in the justice system. Members warned that failure would represent national failure, urging stakeholders to unite in defending institutional honesty when corruption threatens foundational values.
Ayine has publicly discussed ORAL during community interactions, explaining the initiative targets prosecuting high profile financial misconduct and retrieving stolen public money. The Attorney General revealed in October that his office completed investigations into thirteen major cases including SkyTrain, National Service Ghost Names Scandal, District Road Improvement Project, National Lotteries Authority, and Pwalugu Multi Purpose Dam Project.
The Ghana Anti Corruption Coalition recently assessed the country’s anti graft efforts in 2024 as stagnant with minimal advancement despite activities by government and civil society actors. The coalition urged reforms including specialized anti corruption courts to accelerate prosecutions and deter wrongdoing.
Ghana received a score of 42 on Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perception Index, dropping one point from the 43 maintained over the previous four years. The ranking positioned Ghana 80th globally, marking its poorest performance in five years.
