A private legal practitioner Professor Kwaku Asare has said that the Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem is violating the constitution by picking forms to contest in the parliamentary primary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Citing a Supreme Court ruling that says civil servants are not allowed to overtly engage in politics, Prof Asare said, Mr Kwaning-Bosompem should be stopped from contesting or be forced to resign by the Attorney General.
“When I heard the Controller and Accountant-General was contemplating running and I heard he picked the form, I was shocked.
“The Supreme Court was clear, you cannot join the campaign of a political party, you cannot pick forms to run for a political party unless you have resigned from the civil service. Civil servants do not have the right to participate overtly in political party activities.
“What he is doing is a violation of the constitution and I am surprised the Attorney-General has not stopped him.”
The Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG) has demanded the resignation of the Controller and Accountant-General for engaging in partisan politics.
Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo stated that per the Civil Service regulations in Ghana, no Civil Servant is permitted to engage in active partisan politics while still in active service.
Some Civil Servants have been dismissed for engaging in open partisan politics hence the Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Kwaning-Bosompem must also leave office, he added.
Mr Bosompem picked nomination forms to contest the New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary primaries in the Akim Swedru Constituency.
He picked up the forms on Wednesday, December 20.
Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Daniel Opoku, CLOGSAG’s Executive Secretary, Mr Bampoe Addo said “This is not an issue that is coming from CLOGSAG, there is a Supreme Court ruling on Neutrality Act 2017, what the Supreme Court said was that no Civil Servant must indulge in partisan activities.
“The Supreme Court also said that nobody should owe his appointment or promotion to partisan activities. We have had situations where civil servants who have indulged in partisan activities have been dismissed. We also have situations where political appointees have been appointed into Civil Service positions. What has happened to them? That is what we should be talking about.
“I am a member of the Civil Service Council, we have dismissed Civil Servants who have indulged in partisan activities.
“The Constitution says that as and when your political colours are overtly known, you must leave the Service.”