General News of Friday, 24 January 2020

Source: starrfm.com.gh

Corruption is fighting Ghana under Akufo-Addo – Apaak

Dr. Clement Abasinaab Apaak Dr. Clement Abasinaab Apaak

Corruption is fighting Ghana under the watch of President Akufo-Addo as highlighted by the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Ghana scored 41 out of 100, and ranked 80th country on the list out of the 180 countries/territories assessed.

Ghana’s worst score under the John Mahama administration was 43, see table below, while the best score in the three years of the Akufo-Addo’s presidency is 41. John Mahama’s best score was 48, recorded in 2014.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo rode on the deceitful mantra of incorruptibility to the presidency. He promised to fight corruption and to restore integrity in the public sector if voted into office.

President Akufo-Addo has failed woefully in the fight against corruption. The case today is that corruption is thriving with impunity. After winning the election, he has become a Clearing Agent, clearing his appointees alleged to have engaged in acts of corruption: Australia Visa, Cash for Seat, BOST, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Oslo Chancery, KelniGVG, Galamsay, MetroMass, among many others. Of course, when a government is populated by familiar relations, what else could one expect? How can the president look in the faces of his friends and family members in his government and be bold to prosecute them over corrupt conducts?

Under President Akufo-Addo’s watch, journalists who have investigated and reported alleged acts of corruption by government appointees and party appendages have been victims of various attacks and smear campaigns by his party members, MPs and appointees.

Even heads of state institutions charged with the responsibility to protect the public purse, such as the Auditor-General and the Special Prosecutor have not been spared the attacks. The Auditor-General, in particular, has been the subject of all kinds of schemes and plots. What are his crimes? Doing his work diligently, boldly auditing and making public his findings.

So far neither he nor his party has called the attackers of the Anti-corruption crusaders to order. Implicitly, by his silence, he condones their actions.

The examples of the late Ahmed Hussein Suale of Tiger Eye PI, who lost his life after the showing of the damning #12, in which the President, his vice and other senior appointees were mentioned as potential beneficiaries of a deal; the going into hiding by Manasseh Azuri after his ‘Militia in the heart of the city’ documentary and later Edward Adeti, who exposed a plot to influence a court case by a Minister at the Presidency; the plots and schemes targeted at Domelevo the Auditor General, and the refusal of government appointees to assist the Special Prosecutor with information he has requested for, all underscore the reality. Under President Akufo-Addo CORRUPTION is fighting Ghana, Ghana is NOT fighting corruption.

JM to the #Recue #GO4JM. Indeed the alternative is better!

I remain a citizen.

Dr. Clement Abasinaab Apaak
M.P, Builsa South