According to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the president of the republic Ghana, all claims of corruption made against his appointees have been looked into by independent agencies including CHRAJ, the CID, and, in certain circumstances, even by Parliament.
It is not my responsibility to exonerate or convict someone who has been charged with misconduct or corrupt activity, according to President Akufo-Addo. The judiciary and law enforcement have that responsibility.
The President asserted, “My job is to act on allegations of corruption by referring the issue or issues to the proper investigative agencies for the relevant enquiry and action, including, if necessary, the suspension of the affected official, pending the conclusion of investigations,” on Monday, September 11, 2023, at the 2023 Bar Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Cape Coast. That is exactly what I have done since taking over as leader on January 7th.
He went on to cite a number of instances where allegations of corruption against his appointees have been investigated by independent bodies.
From the allegations against the then Minister-Designate for Energy, Boakye Agyarko, at his parliamentary confirmation hearings in 2017; to that against the former CEO of BOST, Hon. Alfred Obeng; to those against the then two deputy Chiefs of Staff at the Office of the President, Hon. Francis Asenso Boakye and Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor; to the conflict of interest allegations against the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta; to the claims of extortion against the then Trade and Industry Minister-designate, Alan Kyerematen, at his parliamentary confirmation hearings in 2017; to allegations of doubling in visa racketeering against the then deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Pius Hadzide, and the then Director General of the National Sports Authority, Hon. Robert Sarfo Mensah who, even though exonerated by the CID, later resigned; the Chairperson of the Board of the National Sports Authority, Hon. Kwadwo Baah Agyemang ; to the allegations of bribery levelled against the Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue; to those involving the dismissed acting CEO of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), A. B Adjei; and the dismissed CEO of the National Youth Authority, Emmanuel Asigiri – President Akufo-Addo stated that they have all been investigated and, in most cases, cleared by the authorised institutions of our state, and not by President Akufo-Addo.
“The latest episode involving the former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, is evident for all to see. I am not aware of any government in the 4th Republic subjecting so many of its officials to such investigations and inquiries,” he said.
At the same time, President Akufo-Addo noted that several officials of the previous Mahama administration, such as William Matthew Tetteh Tevie, Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman and Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, in the infamous $4 million NCA scandal, have been tried and convicted of various corruption-related offences, adding that “several others, including Dr. Stephen Opuni, the former CEO of COCOBOD, and Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader in Parliament, are standing trial as we speak.”
He claimed that none of the state’s accountability bodies, including the newly established Office of Special Prosecutor, had ever shown signs of being under any pressure from the Executive to obstruct their inquiries.
“There are others who object to my mode of operation and refer to me as a ‘clearing agent’ because, in their eyes, an accusation alone is sufficient grounds for the public person to be condemned. No matter how much criticism I receive for upholding due process in the battle against corruption, I will not do so, the President vowed.