Attorney General Dominic Ayine said Saturday, January 3, 2026 his office has filed more public sector corruption cases than any other attorney general in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, pushing back against criticism that corruption prosecutions have been too slow.
“Without meaning to be boastful, no attorney general in the history of our Fourth Republic has filed more cases involving public sector corruption than I have done so far,” Dr. Ayine said in an interview with A1 Radio.
The attorney general said his office has filed six or seven cases so far, including prosecutions of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah, cases involving buffer zone transactions, the SkyTrain project and multiple National Service Secretariat cases.
Dr. Ayine said he plans to file additional cases early this year.
He acknowledged facing intense pressure from Ghanaians who expected swift prosecutions following campaign promises to recover alleged looted funds from the previous administration. Some critics have questioned why more people have not been jailed.
“The expectations are so high that sometimes you really wonder whether people expect, for instance, that you put aside due process and just put people in prison,” Dr. Ayine said.
He said thorough investigations require at least six months per case, citing how American authorities spend up to six years investigating criminal syndicates before filing charges.
“So I have to work as fast as possible,” Dr. Ayine said, noting the pressure to show results within the four-year electoral cycle.
The attorney general said most of his cases have “watertight” evidence and he expects results to emerge this year as cases progress through the judiciary.
Dr. Ayine also said he abandoned plans to offer plea bargains after public backlash. He said a survey showed Ghanaians were disappointed at the prospect of allowing defendants to avoid jail time.
“Democracy is about the people,” Dr. Ayine said. “If the people desire that something should happen, as a leader, if what they are asking me to do is bad, if it is evil, if it is against my conscience as a human being, I will not do it. But objectively, what they wanted is full accountability.”
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
