Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Stephen Adei, has suggested to the government to declare amnesty to persons who report corruption if the state wants to have evidence of the practice.
At the moment, he explained, people who report corruption are also criminalized and characterized as extortioners.
“If the state wants to have evidence of corruption let us declare amnesty or pardon for those who report corruption and for Parliament to subsequently make a law to back it. As at the moment the victims are equally criminals as the extortioners if they come out,” he said in a statement after maintaining that corruption is killing the nation.
Prof Adei stated that the reports of Transparency International (TI) and Afro-Barometer are there to testify to his point that corruption is destroying Ghana.
“And it is not a phenomenon limited to the Akufo-Addo regime, nor the Ministry of Roads which the Honourable Amoako Atta himself said is full of ‘thieves.’ The recent disturbing new dimension about corruption in Ghana is that, now, in 67% of the cases, according to the 2022 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime report on corruption in Ghana, the public officials in Ghana demand the bribe bold-facedly upfront.
“That is all I illustrated with the case of the Ministry of Roads because someone that week had cried to me that such a demand was made to him,” Prof Adei said in a statement while reacting to alleged misdeeds against him.
Prof Adei had alleged in an interview with TV3 that he had information to the effect that persons seeking road contracts were told: “Road contracts will be given to you, provided you pay 1 million upfront….”
He said “One of the greatest disappointments of Nana Akufo-Addo‘s regime is that honestly, he raised the hope of Ghanaians. Ghanaians expected they have gotten a leader with a vision, with the charisma, with the determination and it seems if he doesn’t redeem himself in the next 14 months, he would go down in history as one of the most disappointing leaders,” he said.
He added “This road contract would be given to you, provided you put one million upfront, not after you have gotten the money. This is what Akufo-Addo must be thinking about and if he knows about it, he must be ashamed.
“That now his people demand from you a certain amount before you would be considered for a job. Why? Because when they get it, whether the government pays you or not they have gotten their money. It is as if people are in a hurry to loot the country before the end of Akufo-Addo’s term.”
Acting on this allegation, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, on Monday 23rd October 2023, requested the Executive Director of the EOCO to fully probe the allegations.
According to the Roads Ministry, these allegations are surprising at the least because the processes leading to the award of road contracts are open, transparent, competitive and in accordance with the law.
“Given that the alleged conduct borders on the commission of crime against the Republic, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has today, 23rd October 2023, requested the Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to fully investigate the allegations.
“The Ministry wishes to assure the public that it shall cooperate fully and support EOCO in the conduct of its investigation,” a statement issued by the Ministry on Monday, October 23 said.
While discounting the widely held view that he is a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Prof. Adei said he has never canvassed for any post in any administration.
“First, I have never joined any political party in my life. Thus, I am not a member of the New Patriotic Party or the National Democratic Congress or any other party. Neither have I ever lobbied for any position within any administration. In the same vein, neither have I refused to serve my country when called upon and I think I have the requisite capacity to do so.”
