Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai has clarified the government’s intent to recover public funds lost in the $2 million SkyTrain scandal, emphasizing that suspects cannot serve jail terms and return to enjoy stolen wealth.
This follows the appearance of former Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) CEO Solomon Asamoah before the court, where he was granted GH¢15 million bail with two sureties. His co-accused, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, was absent due to undergoing surgery.
Addressing the issue after the proceedings, Srem-Sai outlined the President Mahama administration’s strategy for recouping state funds through the Operation Recover All the Loot (ORAL), underlining a dual-track approach that invites voluntary repayment while also pursuing active legal enforcement.
“The first objective is to get the money because this country, as we know, has lost so much money through some of these decisions that public officials, some political, some civil, have made in this country”
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney General
He further explained that ORAL’s mission was primarily to ensure the recovery of funds to resolve pressing national needs.
“We’ll be happy to have these monies to be used to solve some of the problems that we have in this country – health care problems, transportation problems, salary problems, sanitation problems. President John Mahama is interested in solving those problems, and we need money to solve them”
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney General
Srem-Sai stressed that the office of the Attorney General remained open to suspects willing to return stolen funds. He emphasized that such persons would not be denied the opportunity to do so, especially as the law makes room for plea bargaining when appropriate.
“Of course, the law allows plea bargaining, which means based on certain conditions and circumstances, we could vary the case that we put before the courts or the consequence of the crimes that we are alleging in court – it’ll help these people”
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney General
He noted that in many cases, suspects have approached the Attorney General’s Department with “offers” to return stolen monies, and some have even agreed to testify against others involved in corruption. “I think we are on track when it comes to the recovery. There’s no better way of recovering the money than voluntary recovery.”
Nonetheless, Srem-Sai was firm that voluntary cooperation would not provide immunity from justice if it did not result in full restitution.
“That is not to say that you can keep the money and not return it and then serve jail terms after which you go for it,” he cautioned.
He added that the Mahama administration had implemented active tracing and recovery operations to locate and retrieve stolen funds, reaffirming the government’s commitment to accountability and justice.
“Whether you do it voluntarily or not, we would do whatever it takes in the name of the Republic of Ghana to retrieve every pesewa that we can from private hands and restore those monies to the people of Ghana and to the taxpayers of this country”
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney General
Press Conferences
Responding to whether Ghanaians could expect regular press briefings from the Attorney General regarding such high-profile prosecutions, Srem-Sai stated that media engagements would occur only when necessary.
“The AG will hold press conferences when the need arises. In this particular case, we believe that the issues are already in the public. The journalists are very much aware of the SkyTrain issue. It was first raised in the Auditor General’s report”
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney General
However, he assured the public that the government remained committed to transparency and would communicate major developments in new cases directly.
“Where there’s a new case which will require deliberate and thorough briefing – we believe that the people of this country are entitled to know every bit of what we are doing with the power they have given us – so we’ll hold press conferences when the need arises.
“So I don’t think anyone is in doubt as to the facts of this case, so there may not be any press conference on this”
Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney General
However he assured that “new cases which will require deliberate and thorough briefing” would be promptly and accordingly dealt with, as the office of the AG believes in full transparency – letting the people know “every bit” of what they are doing with their trust and funds.
The case against Asamoah and Ameyaw-Akumfi is one of several high-profile corruption probes initiated under President John Dramani Mahama’s second administration. It reflects the government’s stated priority to confront systemic mismanagement and rebuild public trust through decisive legal action and institutional reform.
