General News of Wednesday, 5 June 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Corruption: Have you been working with angels? - Haruna Iddrisu asks Akufo-Addo

Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu play videoMinority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu

Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has expressed shock at comments made by President Akufo-Addo regarding the prosecution of some appointees under the Mahama administration.

“I heard the President speaking far away from Canada or somewhere in his many foreign trips abroad saying that NDC persons have been lined up for prosecution….” He noted

After several months of scrutiny and being undermined by some stakeholders in the country, Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu begun prosecution of some allegedly corrupt individuals following a leak of a list of officials from his outfit.

Despite a denial of the validity of the list however personnel in his department who were responsible for the release were dismissed.

During a speech by President Akufo-Addo on fighting corruption during a visit to Canada, he revealed that 21 former officials of the opposition NDC-led government had been lined up for prosecution. He assured Ghanaians living in Canada that his administration was on course to fighting corruption and that he was following due process.

“People are saying there are no prosecutions. Twenty-one people are on trial in Ghana today for corruption. Corruption, what does it mean? The simple word for corruption is stealing, it’s theft and there are people on trial as I speak today.

“One of the things that I am not prepared to do under any conditions is to do away with due process. I fought for it all my life in Ghana that we will have a State in Ghana which recognizes and accepts and acknowledges due process as a fundamental instrument of state policy,” he noted.



But the Member of Parliament for Tamale South and former Minister for Employment and Labour Relations under the Mahama administration expressed dissatisfaction at the President’s statement suggesting that his stance was ‘laughable’.

“What a significant and interesting statement to come from the President of the Republic. So, it means that in the last three years he has been working with angels…” Mr. Iddrisu taunted.

Meanwhile some appointees under the incumbent NPP administration have been the subject of corrupt dealings but have either been cleared after investigations or are yet to be probed.

Sectors such as the Communication Ministry, Health, Tourism among others have all been cited at some point within the last three years.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu was speaking to a section of the media after escorting Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga to court following a summon by a court as a subject of prosecution by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.