President Akufo-Addo has tasked the newly appointed Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, to fight corruption independently and impartially.
“I ask the new Special Prosecutor to bear in mind at all times that the Office carries an extraordinary responsibility to fight corruption independently and impartially. Indeed all institutions of state will work and cooperate with him in the same spirit which he articulated at his approval proceedings in Parliament,” President Akufo-Addo said this during the swearing-in of Kissi Agyebeng at the Jubilee House Thursday.
The objectives for the creation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor have not been met, and they may never be met. The Office has not displayed any positive character in its strategies to fighting corruption in Ghana. There cannot be an effective prediction of the success of the Office in achieving its purpose.
Fighting corruption will require the commitment and toughness of the personnel leading the institutions in the fight. But the commitment and toughness of persons, appointed by an institution such as the Attorney General which serves the interest of a particular government, will not be had, in leading such institutions. The interest of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and that of the Attorney General will not be different in fighting corruption as they both emanate from the same roots. The Attorney General is appointed by the President of the republic, who subsequently nominates an individual to be vetted for the position of the Special Prosecutor.
The public must be reminded that the three-year mandate of the Governing Board of the Office of the Special Prosecutor expired at midnight on 11″ July 2021 without word from the President or the Office to the public.
On Thursday, 12th July 2018 the Board of the Governing Board of the Office of the Special Prosecutor was sworn in by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, supposedly to make “the anti-corruption body now, fully ready to execute its mandate” (July 12, GNA).
To be honest with Ghanaians, His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s NPP government declaration of war on official corruption has failed, if it was not a political gimmick to start with.
It is about time we called a spade a spade but not a big spoon. If you call a spade a big spoon, we shall see if you can eat with it when the time comes.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ghana-flag-750x390.jpg390750adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-03-30 10:55:452021-03-30 11:01:49NPP Government’s fight against official corruption cannot compare with Tanzania and Rwanda’s
“The questions regarding Mr Domelevo’s date of birth which formed the recent basis for the President’s letter were not handled in accordance with the Constitutional directive in Article 23. The actions of the office of the President and the Audit Service affirm our belief that Mr Domelevo has been unfairly targeted,” the Coalition’s Spokesperson said.
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From Right to Left: Mr. Daniel Domelevo (Ex Auditor General); President Akufo-Addo; Justice Anin-Yeboah (Chief Justice)
The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations Against Corruption has requested the Supreme Court of Ghana to determine two cases pending before it on the constitutionality of the Auditor General’s forced ‘accumulated leave’ by President Akufo-Addo.
The group contends that the crux of the issues raised in the two suits are relevant regardless of the current state of affairs; that is the forced retirement of Auditor General Daniel Yaw Domelevo.
“The suits border on the broader issues of whether or not a President could exercise administrative authority over Independent Constitutional Bodies (ICBs). Therefore, it is important for the Supreme Court to deal with these suits expeditiously to prevent any such actions by a future President,” said Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, Director, Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_0347edit-scaled.jpg17072560adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-03-10 17:36:152021-03-11 11:38:49CSOs urge Supreme Court to deal with two suits
The tussle between the Auditor-General, Mr Daniel Yaw Domelevo, and the Audit Service Board has reached a crescendo, with the board writing to inform the appointing authority, the President, that the former has reached retirement age.
This follows the board’s alleged findings that Mr Domelevo had changed his date of birth on the records of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) from June 1, 1960 to June 1, 1961.
“Records made available to the board indicate that your date of retirement was 1st June 2020 and as far as the Audit Service is concerned you are deemed to have retired.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Domelevo.jpg396600adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-03-03 16:35:092021-03-03 16:35:12Audit Service Board raises issue with Domelevo's retirement date
Anti-Corruption campaigner and Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Vitus Azeem says he is not sure of the capacity of the Council of State in the fight against corruption.
He believes the Council can only contribute to the fight as an advisory body but has no powers to fight the menace as stated by President Akufo-Addo during their (Council of State) swearing-in ceremony.
Governance Expert Williams Amofa has cautioned that if the country wants to rid of corruption by strengthening institutions, the police institution must be the first place of call.
According to him, our constitution has made it impossible to make the Police independent and that is affecting the corruption fight in the country.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Ghana-police-2.jpg183275adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-02-26 01:28:232021-02-26 01:28:25Consider the police, if you want to strengthen institutions against corruption - Governance Expert advises
Information available to YTimes indicates that the defunct GIJ SRC Executive, led by the interim President, Alimatu Quaye, has withdrawn GH¢50, 000 from the SRC Account to allegedly pay for the cost of providing free data for the student body.
However, payment for the data was not made but only a portion of the amount, GH¢20, 000 has been re-deposited into the student account.
This move happened on Friday, 12th February 2020 barely 24 hours after Management of the Institute issued a directive that the appointed interim executive should desist from carrying themselves as the legitimate Executive Committee of the GIJ SRC. The directive was given because, according to management the current leadership were not properly inducted into office.
