General News of Friday, 3 February 2017

Source: asempanews.com

Presidential aides became car dealers under Mahama – Kofi Bentil

Kofi Bentil, Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana Kofi Bentil, Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana

Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana Kofi Bentil is advising the New Patriotic Party government and President Akufo-Addo not to allow the presidency to be turned into a pit for corruption as witnessed in the NDC government.

According to Mr Bentil, the presidency is where corruption started and ended under the past NDC government with presidential aides turning themselves into car dealers.

To support his corruption claim, the IMANI vice president cited that, the presidency under the erstwhile Mahama led-administration overshot its budget in quantum leaps with impunity.

“If we really want to fight corruption, let’s start from the presidency. In the past government, the presidency was where corruption started by presidential aides turning into car dealers; and it was where it ended, as persons accused of corruption were offloaded there”.

“The presidency overshot its budget in quantum leaps, without accountability... If we want to fight corruption government must ensure the presidency does not allow itself to be a pit for corruption and corrupt people”, he posted on his Facebook page.

IMANI Ghana this week in a report dubbed, “Fighting Waste and Corruption Starts at the Presidency” mentioned that, the quickest and most effective way for the new government to stamp its feet and assert its anti-corruption credentials is to start the process at the presidency.

The report also mentioned that majority of Ghanaians have focused more on the flamboyant spectacles of corruption and wastage in public expenditure in recent times, with GYEEDA, One-Judge One-goat, Smarttys, SADA, 2014 Brazil fiasco as well as the Ameri deal.

With these alleged corruption dossier, IMANI Ghana believes, it comes as no surprise to see the proposed “special prosecutor office” take center-stage in the national discuss this early in Akufo-Addo’s administration.