Akufo-Addo must walk his talk on corruption fight - Auditor General

The Auditor-General’s Department has urged the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to deepen his commitment to the fight against corruption in the country.

“The president has a responsibility to demonstrate to the public that he is indeed committed to fighting corruption”. The Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo said in an interview with Angel Fm in Kumasi monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

The Auditor-General’s department in conjunction with the Special Prosecutor Mr. Matin Amidu is set to embark on a major audit of the civil service from July 17, 2018.

The exercise, according to the department is an attempt to do away with ghost names in the country’s payroll.

Many Ghanaians have challenged the Auditor General himself to demonstrate that indeed he is also capable of executing his duty to save the country.

But Mr. Domelevo in his interview indicated that the fight against corruption lies on the very individuals in the country and not his office alone or that of the Special Prosecutor.

“I believe the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility. It does not lie on a particular individual to do that neither Auditor General alone or the Special Prosecutor”. He cautioned, adding that, “In case you find a corrupt person, you must report”.

According to him, though the general public has a greater part in the fight against corruption, the president Nana Addo must fully be committed to fighting the societal canker.

“The president has a responsibility to demonstrate to the public that he is indeed committed to fighting corruption. In case any of his ministers or when government officials engage in corruptible acts, he must call for investigations and also suspend such official. If after investigations and the person is said to be clean, then he comes back to his job but if he is found guilty of the charges, the president must make sure such a person faces trial. We must show that, we are committed to developing our country”, he said

Mr. Domelevo in his 22-minute interview also cautioned political leaders on the need to avoid relying on foreign aids saying “No country has been able to develop by virtue of taking foreign aids”. Our development depends on us, not foreign aids, he adds.

He pleaded with the general public to report cases of corruption to his office for the due process to clean the country.