Kpebu Challenges $21.19B ORAL Recovery Figure: ‘It Was Ablakwa’s Personal Estimate, Not Committee Position’
Former member of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee, lawyer Martin Kpebu, has publicly challenged the widely cited claim that Ghana could recover up to US$21.19 billion in stolen state assets, insisting the figure was never collectively agreed by committee members.
The estimate was announced in February 2025 by then-ORAL chairman and North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, following a review of 36 major cases involving alleged losses of state assets — particularly land-related dealings. Ablakwa had suggested the potential recovery could even exceed the financial support Ghana was seeking from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Kpebu clarified that the figure was a personal statement by Ablakwa, not an official committee position.
“Let us remember that the comment made by Mr Ablakwa was a personal comment. It was not made on behalf of the committee. He was one of our members who made the comment, and I did not endorse it. Neither did any of our members endorse it.”
Kpebu further noted that the committee had not carried out any comprehensive assessment to determine the total value of assets or funds that could realistically be recovered. He also pointed out that Ablakwa’s original statement was conditional — prefaced with “if we are successful” — and should not have been presented or interpreted as a firm recovery target.
“It is not a collective decision. He said, ‘If we are successful,’ so it is a conditional clause.”
The remarks come as the massive recovery figure has circulated widely in public discourse, with many viewing it as an official projection from the ORAL Committee. Kpebu’s clarification now puts the spotlight back on how the estimate was calculated and whether it represents a realistic expectation for the state.
