The OSP is poorly equipped, Mary Addah bemoans
The OSP needs a board, GII Programmes Manager to govt
Programmes Manager at the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mary Awelana Addah, has expressed doubt about the government's commitment to fighting corruption.
She spoke on the back of the former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Account, Adjenim Boateng Adjei, having had access to his frozen account.
While noting that the country must take the fight against corruption seriously, she bemoaned the poor resourcing of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
She reiterated that Adjenim Boateng Adjei would not have amassed much wealth if the government had resourced the office of the Special Prosecutor, well.
In an interview on Joy Newsfile, she said, “If we want to fight corruption, then we must show some seriousness. Particularly when we know that in the past, things have not happened. The gentleman [Adjenim Boateng Adjei] you mentioned we know that assets that were frozen got unfrozen and if the OSP has his own logistics to track some of these, I believe this wouldn’t have happened, and so if he says he needs an independent forensic lab, let the people of Ghana invest in this."
She also revered that although lump sums are invested in the fight against corruption, making it expensive, she noted that it is worth the amount the country loses on corruption yearly.
“Fighting corruption is an expensive venture, but let us remember that the monies we lose yearly to corruption is so huge than what we should be investing to ensuring that we do not lose those monies. It would be just a peanut compared to what we are losing already when we look at the monies that are being drained out of the national purse to corruption,” she added.
The GII Programmes Manager has advised that the president's fight against corruption must be more intense adding the need for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to demonstrate commensurate action with his speeches on dealing with corruption.
“Let’s be very frank and say that it is no more interesting at all. We should call a spade a spade and say that our President, even though he has promised to fight corruption has not shown that significantly per his actions when it comes to the Office of the Special Prosecutor."
She explained, "I say so because the composition of the Board is such that it is institutional. And so the institutions present the list, and the list is submitted to the Presidency so that these people are sworn in to take charge of the Office.
And I’m saying that the commitment is not shown by action because, if this gentleman is supposed to work, the Board should give him strategic guidance and direction. Again per his Act, the Board is supposed to ensure that they advise him on recruitment, particularly of certain staff."
Programmes Manager of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Awelena Addah