Home News Politics Kwame Jantuah Questions the Fuss Surrounding Mahama’s Operation Recover All Loot Team

Kwame Jantuah Questions the Fuss Surrounding Mahama’s Operation Recover All Loot Team

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Kwame Jantuah
Kwame Jantuah

Kwame Jantuah, a seasoned lawyer and senior member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has expressed skepticism over the controversy surrounding President John Dramani Mahama’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team.

Jantuah argues that the purpose of the ORAL team has been misunderstood and that their primary responsibility is merely to gather information, not to prosecute or uncover hidden assets.

Speaking on Asaase Radio’s The Forum on Saturday, January 18, Jantuah provided clarity on the matter, raising critical questions about the timing and scope of the initiative. He noted that the debate over the team’s work is unnecessary, emphasizing that their mandate does not go beyond information gathering.

“I really don’t see what the kerfuffle is all about,” Jantuah stated. “The question is the timing. When was it established? When it was established, was President Mahama, President Mahama of Ghana? He was president-elect. Did he have power to tell the institutions to gather that kind of information?”

Jantuah underscored that when the ORAL team was formed, Mahama had yet to officially assume office and, therefore, might not have had the authority to instruct institutions to collect such sensitive data. He also stressed that the team’s mission is to gather information, not to investigate or uncover loot directly.

“The essence for them is not to uncover loot. They are gathering information, and that is where their mandate ends,” Jantuah emphasized.

While defending the rationale behind the formation of the ORAL team, Jantuah criticized certain members for sharing sensitive information with the public. He argued that such leaks could undermine the team’s efforts and distract from the broader objectives of Mahama’s administration.

“President Mahama should be very mindful of the reason why he’s been put in power and his vision for this tenure,” Jantuah said. He also cautioned the president against relying on individuals who do not adhere to the rules, warning that it could detract from his agenda. “The people he surrounds himself with should know they are working on behalf of the president and should follow the terms given to them.”

Jantuah specifically called out team members who have engaged with the media or posted on social media without proper authorization. He insisted that if such actions were not part of their mandate, team members had no right to speak publicly.

“If it is not in their terms of reference, then they have no right to do that. Yours is strict: gather information, period,” he said.

Jantuah also pointed to the media as a factor that could exacerbate the situation, given the pressure they place on officials to divulge information. He advised the ORAL team to remain focused on their task and to politely decline requests for information that fall outside their mandate.

“The media will push you because they need information,” Jantuah explained. “They’ve got to be resilient and tell any media person, ‘That is not part of our mandate; ours is to gather information.’”

In conclusion, Jantuah reaffirmed that the ORAL team’s responsibility is not about prosecution or making public exposés but about collecting data that will be handed over to the relevant institutions for further action. He emphasized that President Mahama’s directive was simply to collect information and pass it on to the proper authorities for further review.

“President Mahama didn’t say, ‘Collect the information and prosecute.’ He said, ‘Collect the information and we would give it to who? We would give it to the institutions,’” Jantuah concluded.

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