General News of Wednesday, 3 March 2021

Source: happyghana.com

Ignore the comedy and give Domelovo two more years - President told

Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo

Anti-Corruption Campaigner, Edem Senanu in appealing to President Akufo-Addo to ignore the additional comedy going on between the Auditor General and Audit Board has urged him to extend the Auditor-General’s term in office.

According to him, the President must refuse to align with some of his representatives who are obviously against the country’s corruption fight.

“The world is looking at us and if we want to show that Ghana is serious in its fight against corruption, then let’s do it well. Let’s not make it look like Domelovo is trying to do some good work but he is being sabotaged. Why is he being prevented from doing his work? What are we seeking to hide? The Auditor-General should be given two more years to do more”, he stated.

Edem Senanu doubts the President will do as the board wants because of who he is as a renowned human rights lawyer and an anti-corruption campaigner himself.

“I appeal to the President not to do anything that will affect us but his next steps should deepen the country’s democratic reputation and respect”, he stated in an interview on the Happy Morning Show with Samuel Eshun aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9 FM.

On his account, the Auditor-General, Daniel Yoa Domelovo has 3 months to end his service and believes he should be allowed to wrap up with his work.

“The question is not what can he do in this short while but the country has to engage and pay him for his services. I wish he will be given an extra 2 years to continue with his work”, he reiterated.

Background

The Audit Service Board says the retirement date for Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo was June 1, 2020.

This, according to the Board is because Mr Domelevo was born in 1960 and not 1961.

In an earlier letter dated February 26, 2021, the Audit Service Board said it had discovered some irregularities and anomalies and requested an explanation.

The Board alleged that records at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) provided by the Auditor-General indicated that his date of birth was 1960 when he joined the scheme on October 1, 1978.

Again the record also showed that the hometown of Mr. Domelevo is Agbetofe in Togo; making him non-Ghanaian but on October 25, 1993, some changes were made.

But explaining the purported anomalies, Mr. Domelevo said his grandfather was a native of Ada in the Greater Accra Region but migrated to Togo and stayed at Agbetofe.

On the issue of his date of birth, Mr Domelevo said he noticed that 1960 was a mistake “when I checked my information in the baptismal register of the Catholic Church in Adeemmra.”

“I was born in Kumasi and my mother in less than three weeks after my birth, returned to Kwahu Adeemmra (with me) and I was baptized in June 1961,” Mr Domelevo added.

However, the Audit Service Board in its latest document dated March 2, said the explanation given makes the “date of birth and Ghanaian nationality even more doubtful and clearly establishes that you have made false statements contrary to law.”

Due to this, the Board said Mr. Domelevo is deemed to have retired in June 2020.