By Kofi Akordor
Last week, two news items which centred on the same issue caught my attention. In the first one, discussants at a workshop jointly organized by Ghana Integrity Initiative and the Audit Service called for a more vigorous enforcement of assets declaration as required by law.
In the second, journalists attending a reception organized by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for media practitioners who covered the African Union Summit in Accra were told to fight corruption as key role towards the development of Africa.
Even though corruption was not a prominent issue which dominated the deliberations of the Accra Summit, the fact remains that corruption is a major obstacle confronting Africa’s development efforts. An AU report itself confirms that about 25 per cent of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) is lost annually due to corruption.
There is a clear co-relation between the autocratic and unaccountable leadership and the level of corruption on the continent. Even though it could be said that a lot of progress has been made in good governance, democracy and respect for human rights in a number of countries, major remains a major challenge on the continent. That accounts for the continent’s underdevelopment notwithstanding the fact it has abundant resources to sustain any development drive.
Apart from leadership problems there are certain inherent socio-economic and cultural factors which open avenues for corruption. They include poor remuneration, high cost of living and pressures exerted on public officers by the extended system.
In Ghana, even though the 1992 Constitution makes provision for assets declaration by certain category of public office holders, it does not seem to be working because of its implementation enforcement.
In Chapter 24, under Article 286, certain categories of public officers are to submit to the Auditor-General" a written declaration of all property or assets owned by, or liabilities owed him whether directly or indirectly-
(a) within three months after coming into force of this Constitution or before taking office, as the case may be;
(b) at the end of every four years; and
(c) at the end of his term of office.
Some of the officers mentioned in the Constitution include the President of the Republic, the Vice-President of the Republic, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and a Member of Parliament.
Others are; Minister and Deputy Minister of State, the Chief Justice and Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature, Chairman, Managing Director, General Manager and Department Head of a public corporation or company in which the State has a controlling interest.
These are lofty safeguards. Unfortunately since 1992, when this constitution came into force, the public had not had any information about the assets and liabilities of those who offered themselves to be elected or were appointed into public office and who are under the constitution required to provide this information. The reason being that even if assets were declared, the public was kept ignorant because of a clause that these asset declaration forms should be kept in the vaults of the Auditor-General and not made public.
The irony is that under Article 287 (1), it is stated;" An allegation that a public officer has contravened or has not complied with a provision of this Chapter shall be made to the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and in the case of of the Commissioner Rights and Administrative Justice, to the Chief Justice who shall, unless the person concerned makes a written admission of the contravention or non-compliance, cause the matter to be investigated"
Dear reader, how do you even initiate a case against a public officer on illegal acquisition of wealth when you could not tell what he had deposited in the vaults of the Auditor-General at any particular time? Straight away it shows that this country has not got any effective to combat corruption.
Ghanaians have always seen hungry and lean-looking politicians, who had suddenly developed pot-bellies, could throw lavish parties and build mansions but they could only grumble because the law does not offer them any relief to confront such officers about the source of their wealth.
It is not strange that political office which is supposed to be sacrificial and a place for missionary work for those who want to develop their communities has become a playground for all sorts of characters many of whom do not hide their intentions by going all lengths to achieve their ambitions.
Another flaw in our anti-corruption is that the state institutions set up to protect national resources are poorly resourced for obvious reasons and easy tools in the hands of public officers.
The Serious Fraud Office, which is one of the institutions, mandated to protect property is seriously handicapped resource-wise and by legislation. This is because the SFO operates under the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice who is a key government personality.
The weakness in the functions of the SFO is obvious if a key government official or someone very close to government is to be investigated. Secondly, all appointments to the SFO is done by the President of the Republic, thus making the SFO a virtual appendage of the Presidency. So who checks who?
This is why if we do not have anything to hide and are serious to fight corruption, we should be it mandatory for public declaration of assets for all public officials mentioned in the Constitution and those who may be determined by Parliament. This is the plea of many Ghanaians and which was stated by the discussants at the Accra workshop.
President Umar Yar’dua of Nigeria has declared his assets soon after entering office. At the end of four years, Nigerians will judge him as to whether he has bloated his assets from state coffers or not. It may not be the ultimate to stop those who want to steal from the State but it is far, far better than what we have in Ghana now.
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