Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has expressed disappointment in the Conduct of Public Officers Bill currently before Parliament.
He said that law in its current state cannot be described as “world-class” as once alluded to by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
For the legal practitioner, Ghana should just go back to some of the past asset declaration laws like in the 1970s, which were effective in his estimation.
Mr Kpebu was speaking at a National Dialogue organised by TV3 on Thursday, October 12.
The Dialogue was on the theme: ‘Fighting Public Sector Corruption in Ghana: Making A Case for an Effective Asset Declaration Law’.
Speaking as one of the panelists, Mr Kpebu insisted that the Conduct of Public Officers Bill cannot be more effective than the laws on asset declaration that Ghana has had in the past.
“We have a rich culture of asset declaration,” he said. “Let’s just do Sankofa.”
Addressing the 23rd Annual Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Cape Coast last month, President Akufo-Addo had hinted that the Attorney-General was soon bringing a bill for the consideration of Cabinet and subsequent enactment by Parliament after the conclusion of consultations.
He said the bill would follow examples of similar legislations in the USA, Kenya and the United Kingdom to check the conduct of public office holders.
But speaking at the Dialogue, Mr Kpebu said the bill he has seen cannot be compared with those in the countries cited by the President.
He said even past ones where public officers had to appear before commissions to declare their assets and subsequently investigated are more effective.
“Even before PNDC Law 280, we had an earlier law where before you enter office, you had to declare all your assets and then publicly you will be investigated to see whether what you already have even before going into office was legitimately acquired.
“So, if in the 70s you had to declare even before entering and had to be investigated, then we cannot look at this today and say we have made any progress.”
He added: “So, putting all these together for me that statement by the President that he is going to give us a ‘world-class’. . .it cannot be this 2022 document.”