Posts

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Is the independence of Auditor-General sacrosanct? – A critical review

The independence of the Auditor-General’s (A-G’s) office has become a hot topic in Ghana due to frequent removals and appointments by incoming or outgoing Presidents, and the recent clash of the A-G with the board and the board chairman of the Ghana Audit Service.

Importantly, due to the circumstances surrounding the appointment of the current A-G, the two main political parties have unfortunately become entrenched in ways beautifully described by a communication director of a major political party as follows: “They seek to undermine the constitutional office and mandate of the A-G by bringing in their usual NDC-NPP politics.”

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BBC Africa Eye and Anas Aremeyaw Anas expose Covid-19 PPE racket

An Africa Eye undercover investigation has revealed that some staff at the Ridge hospital in Accra, Ghana have been selling vital PPE for personal profit.

As the pandemic reached Ghana, the country faced a severe lack of essential protective equipment like face shields, masks and suits.

As the Ghanaian government pushed hospitals to gather as much PPE as they could, the country rallied round to help. Donors provided thousands of items for frontline medical staff fighting the virus.

Yet, despite these efforts, over 200 doctors have been infected by Covid-19, with a lack of adequate PPE often cited as one of the causes.

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An update on 3 major unresolved corruption cases

In this blog post, we go back to 2019 to find out the status of three groundbreaking anti-corruption cases in our bid to pursue cases from start to finish, prevent impunity and ensure reform.

The cases we will be focusing on are the Galamsey Fraud case, the Missing Excavators case and the ‘Contracts for Sale‘ procurement scandal.

GALAMSEY FRAUD 

On Wednesday, 27th February, 2019, ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas released a 27-minute documentary titled “Galamsey Fraud Part One.” In an article published on Ghana Web ahead of the premier of the documentary, Anas authored the following: “A measure to minimize the mess and menace of illegal mining in the motherland is being undermined by men mandated to manage the menace, leaving Ghana at the mercy of mercenary miners and monstrous money-grabbers within the corridors of power.”

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How parts of the media in Ghana aid – rather than fight – corruption

Corruption is a significant obstacle to development, democratic consolidation and environmental security, particularly in the developing world. It involves a misuse of power in serving private ends at the public expense. Corruption occurs in both the public and private sectors.

There are different forms of corruption. Political corruption is a classic example. It is often committed by politicians and top government officials acting alone or collaborating with other actors to advance private agendas.

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Illegal export of Rosewood from Ghana to China drops by 90%

The illegal export of Rosewood from Ghana to China has dropped by about 90% since July 2019, according to Washington DC-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

A report by the group published in July 2019 titled BAN-BOOZLED: How Corruption and Collusion Fuel Illegal Rosewood Trade in Ghana, revealed the illegal trade had been ongoing despite a ban dating back to 2011.

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Corruption to be made a felony in Ghana; stiffer punishment for culprits

Government has initiated processes in Parliament towards making corruption a more unrewarding venture.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Gloria Akuffo has in this regard presented to Parliament the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

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iWatch Africa Proposes “Police-Citizen” To Replace PIPS Of Ghana Police

iWatch Africa, a not-for-profit organisation, is calling for an overhaul of the current police oversight approach by the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Unit (PIPS) of the Ghana Police Service to address misconduct of police officers.

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500 CSOs want President to rescind decision on Domelevo

About 500 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the country have begun a campaign to get President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to rescind his decision on the Auditor-General (AG), Daniel Domelevo’s accumulated leave.

Under the taglines #bringbackdomelevo and #letinstitutionswork, the CSOs are of the view that the action by the President was unconstitutional and a threat to the liberation of the AG and other independent governance institutions.

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Domelovo was deliberately set up to be pushed out – Vitus Azeem

An anti-graft campaigner and former Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mr Vitus Azeem says President Akufo-Addo does not come across as somebody who abhors corruption per his deeds.

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Nigerian Financial Crime Office To Go After Looters Assets In Ghana, Other African Countries

The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, has revealed that looters now hide stolen assets in Ghana and other African countries and the commission will go after them.

Magu, who stated this in Abuja where he was inducted into the 2020 hall of fame by the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Public Resources Management And Politics (Ghana), said the EFCC is on the verge of signing an agreement with these countries that will allow the commission trace and recover stolen assets directly from these countries.

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