Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine is the Attorney General and Minister of Justice
The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that his office is intensifying efforts to recover state funds lost through the National Service Authority (NSA) scandal.
He has also warned that public officers found culpable will face both criminal prosecution and civil recovery measures.
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According to Dr Ayine, his office is continuing to collaborate with other state institutions to act on investigation reports submitted by the National Intelligence Bureau.
“My office continues to work with other institutions of state to bring charges in relation to the oral investigation reports submitted by the National Intelligence Bureau,” he said when he took his turn at the Government’s Accountability Series on Monday, December 22, 2025.
He disclosed that following engagements with the Auditor General, funds linked to the National Service scandal have already been disallowed and surcharged.
“As you would have known by now, pursuant to discussions with the Auditor General, the sums of money involved in the National Service scandal have been disallowed by the Auditor General and these sums have been surcharged on the public officers who superintended the looting of state resources at the NSA. The notices of disallowance and surcharge have been duly issued and served on the said public officers,” he said.
The Attorney General explained that affected officers have a limited window to respond, failing which the state will move to recover the money through civil processes.
“After 14 days, if they fail to show cause why the sums of money should not be disallowed and surcharged on them, their money becomes a debt due and owing to the Republic and I will proceed to take civil action to recover the sums involved.
“Once a judgment is obtained, it will be executed using the civil procedure mechanisms, including the attachment of properties they own, whether or not these properties were part of the process of crime,” he added.
Dr Ayine used the occasion to issue a strong warning to public officers responsible for authorising public expenditure, stressing that personal benefit does not need to be proven in cases of financial loss to the state.
“… So I want to send a message to all public officers who are superintending the expenditure of state funds that from now onwards, when you are charged with the offense of causing financial loss to the state, even though with respect to that offense, we don’t need to show that you have in any way benefited from the transaction either intentionally or recklessly caused financial loss to the state,” he cautioned.
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Regarding updates on Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), Dr. Ayine assured the public that investigations are progressing steadily.
“The oral investigations are proceeding well, and we continue to beef up initial investigative reports in order to file charges that meet the standards of proof in criminal trials,” he stated.
MAG/EB
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Source:
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