Judges, prosecutors, police officials, NIB, others named as top bribe takers in Ghana - Report

Ghana Police Service ranked highest bribe-taking institution in Ghana

Ghana Immigration Service named among top takers of bribe

Prison officials named No. 10 officials who demand bribe in Ghana

The Ghana Police Service has once again made it to the top of a survey that looked at the corruption among institutions in the country.

Also in the list is the mention of judges, prosecutors, and officials of the National Investigations Bureau (formerly the Bureau of National Investigations).

The other names mentioned are from the Ghana Immigration Service, the Lands Commission of Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

This was contained in a report on corruption and bribery in Ghana titled “Corruption in Ghana, People’s Experiences and Views” and produced by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, in partnership with the Ghana Statistical Service and with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The report concluded that more than 17.4 million bribes were paid to public officials in the year 2021 alone.

The report also stated that 25.9% per cent of all survey respondents who had at least one contact with a public official in the 12 months prior to the 2021 survey, paid at least one bribe or were asked to pay a bribe in the same period.

However, the prevalence of bribery according to the report, is highest in relation to police officers (53.2 percent), followed by Ghana Immigration Service Officers (37.4 percent) and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Officers (33.6 percent).

At the other end of the scale, the report showed that the prevalence of bribery is one of the lowest in relation to health workers other than doctors, nurses, and midwives, at 3.3 percent, and elected government representatives, at 2.9 percent.

Here are the top ten public officials who take the most bribes according to CHRAJ and the Ghana Statistical Service:

1. Police officers (53.2%)

2. Ghana Immigration Service officers (37.4%)

3. GRA customs officers (33.6%)

4. Lands Commission (32.4%)

5. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (29.5%)

6. Passport agency officials (29.0%)

7. Prosecutors, judges or magistrates (22.3%)

8. National Intelligence Bureau (21.2%)

9. National Road Safety Authority (17.8%)

10. Prison officials (17.0%)

It is important to note that the overall prevalence of bribery is not the average of the prevalence of bribery (rate) by type of public official, since it is calculated as all those who had at least one contact with any type of public official and were asked for a bribe, including those who refused to pay it.



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