John MahamaFormer President John Mahama has stated his government had a better record than the Akufo-Addo government in the fight against corruption. He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has within the two years in office become a clearing house for his appointees and ministers who have been accused of corruption. Speaking at the 9th National Delegates Congress of the National Democratic in Accra Saturday, the former President said despite “the swelling stench of corruption” in the Akufo-Addo administration, the President has failed to prosecute those involved.
“In the fight against corruption, the NDC has a better record in terms of regime accountability,” he stated, adding “the NPP has proven in government that it always reluctant to pursue their own despite the swelling stench of corruption around the administration. Some key dignitaries at the congress In his view, what Akufo-Addo has been good at within the two years, is paying “lips service” in the fight against corruption. The government’s flagship anti-graft agency, the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Mahama observed, has been “starved of funds, personnel and logistics to do its works”.
“Most appallingly, the president has become the clearing house of clearing his appointees accused of corruption. He has several occasions cleared his ministers and appointees when an allegation of corruption has been made against them,” he said. [L-R] Former President Mahama and President Akufo-AddoNana Akufo-Addo speaking last week at the Africa Investment Forum in South Africa said allegations of corruption against any of his appointees were duly invested by independent bodies and all of them cleared. “So far, investigations have not yielded any evidence but it is important that it is known that people of my administration will be subject to scrutiny if they go off schedule,” he said at the forum But Mahama said the President’s claim cannot be true. “[The] President peddled a falsehood on a panel on the recent African investment forum that all allegations of corruption made against people in his administration have been investigated and cleared by independent investigative bodies. That was an obvious untrue!” Corruption allegations Corruption allegations against the then Minister for Energy-designate, Boakye Agyarko, at his parliamentary confirmation hearings were subjected to a bi-partisan probe in Parliament, which ended up exonerating him. Again, allegations of corruption made against former CEO of BOST, Alfred Obeng, as well as those against the two Deputy Chiefs of Staff, and former Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Pius Enam Hadzide were investigated by the Police CID and cleared. Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority, Kwadwo Baah was similarly investigated and cleared of corruption allegations by the Police CID. Also, claims of extortion against the Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen was investigated by a bi-partisan committee of Parliament which exonerated him. These and others, President Akufo-Addo said at the forum “have all been investigated, and no evidence has been adduced to suggest mildly the perpetration of any act of corruption.” By Stephen Kwabena Effah|editors.3news.com|Ghana
