ORAL data included ‘garbage’ entries collected without verification – Domelevo
Former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo has revealed that data compiled by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team included unverified and unreliable entries, admitting that the figures were merely raw complaints, not confirmed recoverable amounts.
Former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo has acknowledged that during his tenure, the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative collected and compiled data without verification including what he described as “garbage” entries.
Speaking on Joy News on October 22, Mr. Domelevo explained that the ORAL team’s mandate was limited to gathering complaints and documentation from the public, without conducting investigations to confirm their authenticity or accuracy.
“I completely agree,” he said, responding to the Deputy Attorney General’s claim that the estimated $21 billion expected to be recovered under ORAL was exaggerated. “I remember I said earlier that those figures were just the summation of the complaints that came in. After an audit or investigation, those figures could either increase or decrease—it’s possible.”
Mr. Domelevo emphasized that the actual validation of those figures could only occur in court, where the amounts might change significantly.
“The real test is in the courtroom,” he explained. “When cases get there, the amount may reduce substantially. Even if we win close to $21 or $22 billion, collecting it is another matter altogether.”
He further noted that winning a case does not guarantee recovery of funds, citing the Woyome case as an example.
“Even if the court rules in your favor, collecting the money can still be a challenge. The Supreme Court ordered payment in the Woyome case, but it took time—and I’m not even sure it’s been fully paid to date.”
Mr. Domelevo reiterated that the ORAL figures represented unfiltered, unverified data, rather than confirmed financial recoveries.
“We just collected data and summed it up,” he admitted. “We didn’t do any investigations. Preliminary checks might have shown that some complaints were baseless—just noise. But we included everything, even the garbage.”
Keywords: Daniel Domelevo, Auditor-General, ORAL, Operation Recover All Loot, Ghana corruption, $21 billion recovery, Woyome case, anti-corruption
