Aspiring National Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Brogya Genfi has accused the media in the country of covering up corrupt practices in Akufo-Addo’s government.

According to him, media platforms are being used to do the bidding of the current government, making it difficult to expose and fight corruption happening in Akufo-Addo’s administration.

Brogya Genfi's assertion is based on Monday, August 27, 2018 edition of the state-owned Daily Graphic newspaper publication which stated that the Accra High Court has quashed CHRAJ findings on $2.5 billion bonds.

Daily Graphic published that the High Court has annulled certain findings by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) that government breached financial laws in the issuance of the US$2.25 billion bonds in 2017.

In its judgment, the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Georgina Mensah-Datse, held that CHRAJ had no jurisdiction to make those findings and also that it failed to give the government a hearing before coming up with those findings.

But Brogya Genfi reacting to Daily Graphic publication on the issue said it is disheartening to see a state-owned newspaper being used to do the bidding of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and the government to twist the ruling of the High Court.

“The Media is not helping at all to fight corruption in Akufo Addo’s government. It is surprising and disheartening that state-owned newspapers like Daily Graphic is being used to do the bidding of Ken Ofori-Atta . . . EC boss, Charlotte Osei lost her job for breaching procurement law but the Finance Minister is still at post for breaching financial law because he is a relative of the President,” he bemoaned.

He stressed that the High Court did not quash the findings of the Commission on Human and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on the $2.25 billion bonds but rather, the court quashed CHRAJ’s decision that the Finance Minister ought to have declared all his assets.

He however revealed that the issue of $2.25 bonds has been taken to the Supreme Court for redress; thus, it cannot be true that the findings of CHRAJ regarding the bonds have been quashed by the High Court.

On April 25, 2017, a member of the NDC, Mr. Yaw Brogya Genfi, petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the bond transaction, alleging conflict of interest in its issuance against the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta.

CHRAJ Findings

CHRAJ, in its decision on December 22, 2017, stated that Mr. Genfi failed to substantiate his allegation, therefore clearing Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta of conflict of interest in the issuance of the bonds.

The Commission, however, said the government breached Section 56 of the Public Finanial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) by failing to seek parliamentary approval before issuing the bonds.

Another finding was that the Finance Minister failed to disclose all his assets, as required by Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution.