Credit: Kekeli K. Blamey
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, says Ghana’s anti-corruption drive must embrace a pragmatic blend of justice and restitution, stressing that retrieving stolen state funds is just as crucial as jailing culprits.
Addressing the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House in Accra on July 29, 2025, Mr. Ayine made it clear that while incarceration for public sector corruption remains on the table, his office is equally committed to recovering looted resources through lawful means — including non-conviction-based asset recovery.
“I want to jail persons who have looted state resources, but I am also realistic enough to know that imprisonment is not always the most effective route,” he said, defending the legal and ethical basis for asset recovery without necessarily securing a conviction.
The Attorney General’s comments come amid ongoing investigations into alleged financial impropriety involving Kwabena Adu-Boahen. Ayine stated that his office has remained transparent in its willingness to engage in plea bargaining with individuals who have been found culpable after investigations.
He emphasized that recovery of stolen funds can sometimes be more beneficial to the state than drawn-out prosecutions that may not lead to meaningful restitution. “Recovering stolen funds and ensuring accountability through the justice system are not opposing goals,” he added. “Both can and should happen where possible.”
Ayine referenced Ghana’s existing legal framework — including the plea bargaining statute and Section 35 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) — as key tools that empower the state to pursue justice in flexible, result-oriented ways. These laws permit negotiated settlements in criminal cases involving state funds, often allowing for restitution in lieu of custodial sentences.
“I will not shy away from using the tools available under the law, including Section 35, if it helps us reclaim what belongs to the state,” Ayine noted, reinforcing his support for the “ORAL” initiative, which targets the retrieval of public assets lost to corruption.
His message was clear: the justice system must be bold, but also strategic, in tackling economic crimes. For Ayine, success lies not only in convictions, but in how much of the nation’s resources can be reclaimed and reinvested in public good.
