Only 2 of 2,400 cases tried, NDC raised hopes in corruption fight but… – Dr. Osae-Kwapong

A governance expert has criticised the government’s handling of corruption cases, saying that only two prosecutions have started of the 2,400 cases submitted by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, nine months after President John Dramani Mahama took office.

Dr John Osae-Kwapong, a fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), said the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) created “legitimate expectations” through its campaign messages despite knowing the institutional limits that would delay delivery.

Speaking in an interview on Saturday, October 11, 2025, Dr Osae-Kwapong said the government had become “a victim of its own political promises and engagement with the people.”

“The heat that they are facing is justifiable,” he said. “You promised certain results. What the public is waiting for is to see those results.”

Dr Osae-Kwapong explained that although the Attorney-General had received 2,400 cases from ORAL, only a few had moved to prosecution, citing the National Signals Bureau case as one of them.

“It’s not as though absolutely nothing has been done. Are we not aware of the National Signals Bureau? Have processes not begun?” he asked, adding, “Now you will say two, three, and how many… You are talking 2,400.”

He said the NDC’s campaign message had created unrealistic expectations about the timeline for corruption prosecutions, noting that due process often clashes with public impatience.

“The certainty with which you promise those results is what the public is waiting to see,” Dr Osae-Kwapong said. “Nobody sees due process. You can’t touch it, you can’t feel it. But everybody can see a convicted person in handcuffs or being sent to jail.”

He referred to campaign claims that raised public expectations, including allegations against former National Investigations Bureau boss Nana Agyei Ampofo, who was accused by ORAL of paying GH¢160,000 for land valued at $700,000.

“What do you want the person sitting out there to think?” he asked. “Should they agree with you when you say, ‘Oh, they should put a caveat that we don’t want to convict innocent people,’ when you had already told them this man has stolen land?”