Adu-Boahene’s case: Effective asset recovery & corruption prosecution demand more than high-profile public announcements – IMANI

IMANI Africa has said that by targeting high-profile cases like that of former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, the Mahama government intends not only to reclaim state assets but also to send a clear message to potential wrongdoers.

Yet, IMANI said effective asset recovery and corruption prosecution demand more than high-profile public announcements.

They require a carefully coordinated effort among multiple bodies—including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and independent judicial institutions—to ensure that evidence is gathered systematically and that legal procedures are strictly followed, the policy think tank added.

In this light, it added, the Adu-Boahene case serves as a critical test of whether ORAL can balance aggressive asset recovery with the imperatives of a fair trial.

Read Also: Passports of Adu Boahene and wife should remain with EOCO – Court

“The Adu-Boahene case does not exist in a vacuum. It is an integral part of the broader Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) mandate, an initiative designed to track, prosecute, and recover misappropriated state resources. Launched with the promise of transparency and accountability, ORAL aims to reverse the financial damage wrought by corruption and restore public trust in governance.

“By targeting high-profile cases like that of Adu-Boahene, the government intends not only to reclaim state assets but also to send a clear message to potential wrongdoers throughout the region.

“Yet, effective asset recovery and corruption prosecution demand more than high-profile public announcements. They require a carefully coordinated effort among multiple bodies—including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and independent judicial institutions—to ensure that evidence is gathered systematically and that legal procedures are strictly followed. In this light, the Adu-Boahene case serves as a critical test of whether ORAL can balance aggressive asset recovery with the imperatives of a fair trial,” IMANI Africa said in its “Criticality Analysis of Governance Issues | March 23 – 29, 2025”.

Read Also: Ex-NSB Boss Kwabena Adu-Boahene and wife sue AG over ‘harsh’ GH¢200m bail conditions

The Adu Boanhene’s case sparked an intense debate over the balance between transparency and due process in Ghana’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts following the press conference that the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, held on the matter on March 24, 2025.

Allegations that the couple diverted millions of Ghanaian cedis—reports indicate approximately GH?49 million diverted and GH?39.4 million misappropriated7 —have been publicized through a series of press briefings. Central to this debate is the public disclosure by the Attorney General (AG), whose pronouncement revealed that only a fraction, 20 percent, of the evidence has been released so far, ostensibly to avoid compromising the investigation.

This incident not only provides a window into the challenges of corruption in Ghana but also serves as a case study on how transparency measures can both reinforce and undermine public trust in governance.

IMANI Africa recommended that ” In order to enhance transparency without compromising judicial fairness, it is recommended that Ghana’s anti-corruption framework mandate the creation of an independent, inter-agency task force responsible for coordinating and standardizing public disclosures during investigations.

“This policy should require that only non-prejudicial, rigorously vetted  information be released to the media—ensuring that the presumption of innocence is upheld throughout the judicial process—while also reinforcing accountability measures through regular oversight and inter-agency collaboration among bodies such as EOCO and the Office of the Special Prosecutor. In practice, this approach would involve systematic evidence reviews, clearly defined disclosure protocols, and ongoing training for all stakeholders in managing high-profile corruption cases, thereby bolstering initiatives like Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) and setting a sustainable benchmark for anti-corruption efforts in the West
African sub-region.”

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