Probe motive behind GH¢10k Chinese gift – Batidam

The chairman of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption Daniel Batidam has described as needless criticisms of the Attorney General’s Office for receiving donations from the Chinese Mission in Ghana.

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Sun Baohong Tuesday June 6 donated some items to the AG’s office including desktop computers, printers, UPS and a cheque for GHC10,000.

It comes at a time when several Chinese nationals are being prosecuted for engaging in illegal mining following a clampdown on the menace by the government.

A similar donation was made to the Ghana Police Service and such donations according to the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is worrying.

“The point is that we are currently at the moment dealing with matters that concern Chinese engaging in illegal mining….so if the very institution that are mandated under our laws to deal with such matters are accepting gifts at this time then it raises concerns,” said its Executive Director Linda Ofori Kwafo.

But commenting on the development, Mr. Batidam who was a former Presidential Advisor on Governance and Corruption under the presidency of John Mahama said: “…As part of our good international relations with countries like China…big economic power, such a country wants to support our governance processes to help us to strengthen our institutions and so on, why not?

“If they want to make any donations of any kind to our government; I want to be very clear on this to our government in order that the government would use such support in a manner that would inure to the benefit of Ghanaians normally ordinarily we should not complain about it.”

He added: “I think the donations…if the reports I have read are correct were done transparently. So at least it gives us grounds to know that this is not something done under the table and under cover.”